By night, the training was nearly over.
The other two members had already lost consciousness, and a maid quietly carried them away. Ethan, too, had been taken.
Now… only Emma remained.
Her golden eyes were wide, filled with a mix of fear and nervous anticipation.
She couldn't help but admire him—Alex. Watching his strong body effortlessly take down three opponents, one after another, was… impressive. Even alluring.
She had known from the moment she arrived at the mansion… she had a crush on Alex.
He was her ideal type of man.
Strong. Confident. Unshakable.
She had always dreamed of someone like that.
Why exactly, she wasn't entirely sure—but she had her suspicions.
She had grown up with only her mother. Her father had been weak—a man who wasted money on gambling, then cried when the gangs came for him. He had even sold her mother multiple times just to pay off his debts.
In the end, it wasn't enough. The gangs grew tired of him… and killed him.
But that didn't mean her life got better.
The gangs still assaulted her mother regularly, and Emma had learned early on that any mistake could mean a beating—sometimes brutal.
Her mother wasn't much of a refuge either. She numbed herself with drugs, sold her body for sex, and often lashed out violently. She didn't seem to care about Emma, and Emma didn't feel anything for her in return.
They were both victims of a cruel world—but Emma had grown up learning one thing clearly: strength was everything.
And that was why Alex… was so captivating.
She had learned early that to survive, you needed strength.
She could never forget how she had survived her living hell.
It happened one day when the gangs seemed to be attacking someone else—someone who looked well off.
At first, all she heard were screams. The gang members were shouting and yelling, and her mind went blank with fear, assuming it was another random attack.
But when she looked…
She saw something she would never forget.
Two people stood among the chaos, facing a group of gang members. And the gang leader—he was kneeling at their feet, begging for mercy.
One of the two men spoke, cold and sharp:
"The king has ordered to clean this country. You pieces of trash should not be allowed to live in the land our king wants to build… so die here."
The sheer strength, the authority, the unstoppable presence of those two—it had terrified and fascinated her at the same time.
That was why Alex… captivated her so completely.
When she saw him, she couldn't help but be reminded of that moment.
The same strength. The same unstoppable presence.
But now… knowing she was next in the sparring. Knowing she would have to face him…
That was terrifying.
She wished—silently, almost desperately—that he would be gentler.
At least… let me experience this, she thought, a nervous shiver crawling down her spine.
Alex looked at her, unreadable, a faint smile forming in his mind.
"You still have time to think," he said softly. "Do you really believe you have a chance?"
A chill ran down her back. Her voice trembled as she whispered,
"I… I don't believe so… just… please be gentler."
Alex laughed, a low, confident sound that made her shiver even more.
"Gentler?" he said, shaking his head. "Do you think your opponent in the competition will say the same thing?"
He stepped closer, his presence suffocating.
"Since you're so afraid," he said, his voice low and steady, "I think… to make you stronger, I'll have to be twice as harsh."
And without another word, the "training" began.
It wasn't just a fight. It was torture.
He choked her until her vision blurred, her body trembled, and she felt herself slipping toward unconsciousness—only for him to release her at the last second. Then he struck again, pushing her to the ground, forcing her to fight back, only to choke her once more until she almost passed out.
She tried everything—acting as if she had gone limp, pretending to be weaker, even trying to mislead him—but nothing worked.
It was like Alex could read her mind.
Every feint, every hesitation, every trick—he saw it all.
No matter what she did… she couldn't gain the upper hand.
At the end, she stood up, summoning every ounce of strength she had left. She fought with all her might—because she knew she had no other chance.
But just as she threw herself into another attack, Alex stopped her.
"Your training ends today."
She froze, flabbergasted.
"Your training ends today," he repeated, his voice calm but firm. "Do you understand why?"
She shook her head, breathless.
"You were able to stand and fight me—truly fight me—even though you knew you couldn't win."
For a moment, she just stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in.
He continued, his voice calm but sharp.
"From the start of our sparring, you didn't really fight. You were trying to survive. You fought me expecting defeat, trying to minimize injury and pain. You even tried to lose just to end the sparring."
His gaze softened slightly, studying her.
"But when you realized there was no other choice… at the very end, you actually fought. For the first time, you tried to win."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice so it carried weight.
"I don't know when you learned to fight this way, but let me tell you something—if you want to achieve anything in the future, your goal must be more than just surviving. Remember that."
His words sank deep into her.
When had she learned to fight this way?
The answer was painfully obvious.
From her earliest childhood, she had only ever tried to survive.
Survive her father's drunken rages.
Survive her mother's violent lashes.
Survive the gangs' attacks, doing everything she could to minimize the pain they inflicted.
Every day had been nothing more than a strategy to endure.
To keep the suffering at a level she could bear.
And now… for the first time, she realized there was more to fighting than mere survival.
Alex looked at her and smiled.
He had noticed her from the very first day she arrived. While others tried to show off their abilities to prove their worth, she was different. She wasn't trying to stand out or win anything.
She was just trying not to fall behind.
Trying to survive life… survive group training… survive school… survive everything.
"Congratulations, Emma. You just fought your very first real fight."
Emma stood frozen in place, still processing what had just happened.
Somehow, she had walked into a sparring match… and walked out with a free therapy session from Alex.
Alex didn't wait for her to process and was heading toward his room when he spotted the head maid in the corridor.
"Excuse me," he called out. "Do you know where Catherine is?"
The head maid paused and gave a polite bow.
"Apologies, Mr. Alex, but Lady Catherine is not at home today. She has gone to visit her father and may remain at the castle for several days."
Alex frowned slightly.
Her father… the king?
At first, it sounded simple—a daughter visiting her father. A normal reunion. Yet something about it didn't sit right with him. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more behind this visit… something unspoken, something deliberate.
Still, he said nothing of it.
"Alright. Thank you for telling me," he replied calmly.
The maid nodded and went on her way, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts—and his growing suspicion.
Back in his room, Alex sat on the edge of his bed and focused. His vision flickered as the familiar interface appeared before him.
[User: Alex Anderson]
[Status: Awakener 1]
[Strength: 6.2]
[Defense: 6.4]
[Endurance: 6.4]
[Mind: 5.0]
[Soul: 10.0]
[Mana: 0.0]
[Power: Steady Growth, Targeted Growth]
It had only been one day since his awakening, yet most of his stats had already increased by one point.
Except for Mind, Soul… and Mana.
Alex frowned slightly.
It seemed those three weren't as simple to improve. There had to be specific conditions.
For Soul, he already had a clue—he needed to kill creatures and use the system to absorb their power.
For Mind, it seemed to increase only after some kind of breakthrough… though he wasn't entirely sure what qualified as one.
As for Mana…
He exhaled slowly.
That one was still a complete mystery.
Then suddenly—
His eyes widened.
An idea struck him.
Targeted Growth…
The description clearly said it could increase any stat—as long as he had enough soul power available.
A slow smile formed on his face.
So… does that mean I can bypass the conditions entirely?
He frowned, staring at the motionless insect between his fingers.
Nothing. No warmth, no surge, no whisper of power like before.
A faint irritation crept into his voice.
"Why don't I feel anything? Before… I could feel it. The energy… the soul power."
The system responded immediately, its tone as cold and emotionless as ever:
[User has reached Awakener Level 1. Low-tier lifeforms no longer provide soul enhancement.]
His grip tightened slightly.
"So… what now?" he muttered. "Don't tell me I have to start hunting dogs or cats…"
There was a brief pause.
[Domestic animals are insufficient.]
[User must hunt semi-converted organisms.]
His brows furrowed deeper.
"Semi-converted… what does that even mean?"
This time, the system elaborated:
[Before the Red Moon event, certain organisms begin accumulating soul energy.]
[They are not yet fully transformed into monsters.]
[However, they exhibit early mutations: increased aggression, abnormal intelligence, or physical anomalies.]
He slowly stood up, the weight of those words settling in.
"...So they're not normal anymore."
"And they're stronger than normal… right?"
[Correct.]
Silence filled the room.
He looked back at the box of insects, then kicked it aside without hesitation.
"…Then I guess this is where it actually starts."
A faint blue screen flickered in front of him.
[New Mission Issued]
[Hunt and eliminate one semi-converted organism]
[Reward: Soul Growth]
Alex swallowed, the weight of the mission still pressing on his chest.
"Then where can I find these… semi-monsters?"
The system didn't respond immediately this time.
For a brief moment, the room was silent.
Then—
[Semi-converted organisms are currently rare.]
[Their appearance rate will increase as the Red Moon event approaches.]
Alex frowned.
"So basically… I'm too early?"
[Affirmative.]
"…That's not comforting. Does this mean my growth will be slower from now and on ?"
The screen flickered again.
[At present, viable targets exist in low-human-interference zones.]
[Recommended locations: deep forests, abandoned areas, restricted zones.]
Alex leaned back slightly, processing that.
"Places where humans don't go…"
Images formed in his mind—
dense forests, silent hills, forgotten roads, places where even animals avoided staying too long.
Dangerous places.
Or maybe…
Places that had already started changing.
He let out a slow breath.
"So if I want to get stronger now… I have to go where no one else is willing to go."
[Affirmative.]
A small, uneasy smile appeared on his face.
"…Of course it's like that."
He sits on his bed, as his mind is preparing a plan for what he is gonna do tomorrow. It seems to him the only answer he got is to search for abandoned places where some people talk about stories of weird events. It might lead him to something.
If there are semi-converted monsters, then rumors and strange incidents would be the only trace left behind. Places people avoid without knowing exactly why… those are the only real clues he has right now.