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“…This is quite a strange sensation.”

Aiden spoke as he looked around at the bleak, empty landscape. Across from him, sitting idly with his chin in his hand, Meyer chuckled in response.

“It’s always like that the first time.”

They were in a space known as the “Inner World,” a place where someone’s thoughts were manifested into a physical location. Right now, both Meyer and Aiden had entered such a realm.

Aiden looked at the bracelet around his wrist with a reluctant gaze.

< Item Info >  

[Soul Connector][Rare]  

[A bracelet containing the highest soul, ‘Knight of Dawn.’ It allows entry into the unique space < Inner World >, accessible only to those who have reached a certain level. Within this space, one can directly interact with spirits.]

Thanks to this effect, this sort of thing was possible. The bracelet itself was just an old relic without any inherent power, but by containing Meyer’s soul, it had gained all sorts of effects.

‘Just how much of a monster is he?’

Aiden sent a glance full of that meaning toward Meyer. In response, Meyer, still craning his neck forward, looked Aiden up and down as if inspecting him. The penetrating gaze made Aiden’s body shrink instinctively.

When they’d interacted as spiritual entities, it hadn’t felt so intense, but now that they were face to face, Aiden was certain—this man was no ordinary human. 

Aiden knew a fitting word to describe the human standing before him.

‘…Predator.’

Humans who seemed to exist in an entirely different ‘realm,’ so different they almost felt like a different species. The only people Aiden had encountered with a similar aura were Noel and Katia. But even compared to them, Meyer’s presence was clearly—

‘Terrifying.’

Unlike Noel and Katia, who usually kept their intimidating energy hidden out of consideration for others, Meyer made no effort to conceal anything. Just standing before him made Aiden feel as if he were shrinking. His oppressive aura was far stronger than even those two.

‘Should I be thankful that I get to learn how to fight from someone like him…?’

The condition Aiden had set was that he would reach the ‘level’ that Meyer himself couldn’t attain. This was one of the steps toward that goal—daily one-on-one training sessions in the Inner World that unfolded in Aiden’s dreams.

Since the world was built inside Meyer’s mind, no matter what happened, it wouldn’t affect the real world.

“So, about the condition you set. Before we start, I’ve got a few questions.”

At Meyer’s words, Aiden’s expression turned serious.

“Let’s be honest. You’ve got nothing, don’t you?”

“……”

“I know you can handle multiple abilities, but let’s set that aside for now. You’ve never actually fought anyone, have you? I could kill you ten times over in three seconds with just a kitchen knife.”

One thing’s for sure—this guy doesn’t have a talent for sugarcoating things.

“And what’s even more serious—you don’t really want to do this, do you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t seem all that eager to fight. You’re the kind of guy who’d run at the first sign of trouble, aren’t you?”

Seriously?

“Do ghosts have mind-reading powers or something?”

“I’ve developed over half the techniques for using abilities on this continent, you brat. Do you think you’re the first disciple I’ve taken? I can read you like a book.”

Aiden knew that, of course. Even now, Meyer was a continent-level hero, the ‘Knight of Dawn.’ But most of his legendary deeds were ‘downplayed.’

With that in mind, the evaluation Meyer gave after thoroughly assessing Aiden came as quite a surprise.

“How does someone like you even have such powers?”

“Sorry, what?”

“I’ve seen plenty of people use multiple abilities, but you’re the first I’ve seen mixing them together. How did you manage that? Did you scam the gods or something?”

“Is it really that impressive?”

“Is it really that impressive? Is it really—? You… damn it, you idiot—!”

It was clear that Meyer had just swallowed a string of curses down his throat. He let out a deep sigh before continuing.

“Abilities are the domain of the gods. The fact that yours are mixed doesn’t make any sense. It’s actually more surprising that nothing catastrophic has happened around you yet. I mean, seriously—”

“I’ve heard that His Imperial Majesty has been working hard to conceal my information.”

“The very fact that it can be suppressed at all is ridiculous. It just proves how little people in this era understand about abilities. If this had been my time, you’d have been caught alive and dissected by now.”

Honestly, Aiden still didn’t quite understand why this was supposed to be such a big deal. The only thing he was certain of was that he was lucky not to have been born in Meyer’s era. Aiden scratched his head.

Well, receiving such high praise out of the blue was something he’d never expected.

“Anyway, with what you’ve got now, you won’t be lacking in power wherever you go. You can learn how to use your abilities properly later.”

“Later?”

“To be precise, I’ll need to study you for a bit. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this too, so there’s not much I can teach you right now.”

That was a situation Aiden hadn’t anticipated at all. But still…

“Isn’t there anything else?”

Since Aiden was desperate to increase his specs as quickly as possible, he couldn’t help but press Meyer.

Main Quest  

Act 1, <Crack in the Capital>  

▶ Chapter 1 will begin soon!  

Related events will occur soon. (D-4)

The approaching main quest added to the urgency. Aiden needed to grow stronger quickly, no matter the cost.

“Hmm…”

Meyer stroked his chin thoughtfully as he stared at Aiden.

“There’s one way.”

“Really?”

Aiden’s eyes brightened, and Meyer gave him a small nod.

“First off, how about you die a few times?”

With that, Meyer made a simple horizontal gesture with his hand. It wasn’t even an exertion—more like a casual wave.

And then—

Aiden’s head was sliced clean off his neck.

“…?”

His decapitated head soared into the air, his body crumpling to the ground, blood spurting out like a fountain. His vision darkened. He died—

—And then, in the blink of an eye, it was all gone. Aiden opened his eyes, gasping as he checked his body. His neck was still intact.

But…

‘…Just now.’

He had definitely died. The feeling of his head being cut off and rolling on the ground was still fresh in his mind.

“It’s a false sensation. Even if you die here, nothing will happen to your physical body in the real world. You can always come back.”

Meyer’s calm explanation was directed at Aiden, who was now drenched in cold sweat.

“What was that just now—?”

“To be honest, you haven’t even reached the starting line yet. You need to get used to extreme situations where blood flies and bodies fall apart.”

Meyer’s voice was friendly, almost like he was giving beginner-level instructions, but the content of his words was anything but.

“That means you’ll have to keep dying and fighting.”

“……”

“First, you need to get used to the act of fighting itself. We’ll have to quickly toughen up that mind of yours, spoiled by peace.”

“Hold on, senior. Is that really—”

“All theory and technique aside, this seems like the most efficient method for now.”

Meyer continued speaking, still wearing that wide smile. 

At this point, however, that friendly smile looked to Aiden more like the grin of a demon.

“Just survive by any means necessary, kid.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Aiden experienced his second death.

“…Aiden.”

Suddenly, a voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He jolted awake.

“Are you alright?”

Noel, watching his face carefully, spoke in a concerned tone. 

No wonder—Aiden’s face was pale, his complexion ghostly, and he seemed out of it all day. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Noel that he’d spent the entire night being tormented by Meyer.

“If you’re not feeling well, you should go to bed. There’s no need for you to be in the office…”

“I’m fine.”

To be honest, his body was perfectly fine. It was just that the memory of being butchered by Meyer all night was too vivid and horrifying.

‘Damn that guy.’

Aiden stared at the window floating before him as he thought.

-System Message-  

You have engaged in intense combat. Combat experience has accumulated.  

▶ Accumulate combat experience to master various techniques from different schools!  

▶ Upon mastering two more techniques, the “Turo” category will be unlocked.

Although Aiden had died more than a dozen times just the previous night, it seemed that thanks to that, a new ability had been unlocked.

‘Is this really…?’

It was a concept separate from skills. While skills are typically activated by being directly ‘used,’ Turo represents the culmination of a character’s accumulated experience. In comparison, it’s like the difference between active skills you consciously use and passive skills that are always in effect.

Now that Aiden could copy yet another type of skill, it was something to truly celebrate. Normally, that’s how he should feel.

‘But I feel like I’m dying…’

It was bad enough that even Noel had spoken up out of concern. Since the banquet, things between them had become awkward, so they hadn’t been able to speak much. Aiden quietly glanced at Noel, who was biting her lip in silence. As soon as he assured her he was fine, she averted her gaze immediately, as if she didn’t want to talk further.

How should he put it? Lately, it felt like she was intentionally keeping her distance from him, avoiding too much contact.

-Quest Info-  

<Sham Marriage>  

-You have been chosen as Noel’s spouse. Maintain your contract with her until the end!  

-An event related to this will occur soon. (D-?)

Seeing the sudden change in her attitude, along with what was written here, made it clear that there had been a shift in her feelings. But…

‘I can’t figure her out…’

Aiden watched Noel as he pondered her unpredictable behavior. She let out a long sigh and took off her uniform cap.

‘Yikes.’

Had he been staring too openly? He flinched, thinking she might get angry, but Noel spoke calmly.

“Aiden.”

“Yes?”

“If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. You haven’t looked well all morning.”

“If it’s something hard to talk about, I’ll wait…”

…Honestly, he had no idea what to make of her. She avoided him most of the time, but now she was offering to help as if nothing were wrong.

‘Well, then.’

If there was something he could ask for…

“Did you say you wanted me to teach you swordsmanship?”

Noel blinked in surprise as she repeated his request.

“Teaching you swordsmanship isn’t particularly difficult, but what brought this on? You’ve never seemed that interested in that sort of skill.”

“…I just want to survive.”

Noel’s expression clearly showed she thought that was a poor excuse, but Aiden had wracked his brain for a good reason. Starting now, getting beaten up and killed by Meyer every night was going to become routine. He needed something to fight back with, no matter what.

‘Besides, if nothing else…’

When Aiden thought of Noel in terms of the words associated with her in the game, a few titles came to mind: Lionhearted, Empire’s Greatest Knight, and Master Swordswoman. She wasn’t quite the monstrous swordsman who dominated the world like Meyer, who had chopped off Aiden’s head countless times last night, but her swordsmanship was among the best, even among the superhumans.

Now that he had met the conditions to unlock the Turo category, there was no reason to decline learning from her.

As Aiden sorted through his thoughts, he noticed Noel pushing her hair back, clearly deep in thought about his proposal.

“…Aiden.”

“Yes?”

“When you say you want to learn swordsmanship, do you mean you want one-on-one instruction?”

“…Yes?”

“So, you’re asking if it will just be the two of us.”

Well, Aiden hadn’t really thought that far ahead.

“…Does that matter?”

“It does.”

“It’s an important factor.”

Noel repeated herself with such seriousness that Aiden scratched his cheek, unsure what to make of it.

“…If it’s that important, should we proceed one-on-one?”

At those words, Noel pressed her lips tightly together and glared at Aiden.

‘What was this about?’

“You’re quite assertive.”

“Well, I don’t mind.”

“…What?”

What exactly was she trying to say? Aiden blinked in confusion as the office door suddenly burst open.

“What’s going on here? Talking about something fun, are we?”

Noel’s expression immediately hardened. Normally, she and Aiden spent most of their time alone in the office, and people respected that privacy. Even Stella, Noel’s aide, was strict about maintaining boundaries.

So, without so much as a knock, only one person could barge in and open the door so brazenly.

“Your Highness, I am currently speaking with Aiden. Could you please leave us?”

“Hehe, but aren’t you talking about someone who serves under me? How could I not be involved?”

Katia responded with a cheerful smile, and Aiden noticed Noel’s eyebrows twitch sharply. Earlier, her expression had merely stiffened, but now it looked downright hostile.

‘Looks like their grudge isn’t fully resolved.’

The unresolved tension between them was obvious, so much so that Aiden could instantly sense the strained atmosphere.

“…Aiden asked me for help, not you. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, but there aren’t many who can match me when it comes to handling sacred powers. Wouldn’t he be more interested in mastering noble forces like that, rather than some old-fashioned swordsmanship?”

Noel’s expression turned even more severe. She placed both arms on the desk and propped up her chin, her face now as serious as if she were about to enter a battle.

“Your Highness, I think you should be grateful that I didn’t take you to court for the mess you caused before.”

“Hm?”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop interfering in matters that don’t concern you. I can’t let Aiden be dragged into unnecessary trouble.”

Katia smiled at those words, but her eyes remained icy. Watching this, Aiden felt a chill run down his spine—the tension in her expression was clear as day.

“You want to monopolize him, even though you can’t make up your mind?”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Katia tilted her head with a smirk, and sparks seemed to fly from Noel’s eyes.

“Fine.”

Noel growled as she stood up.

“If you’re that confident, then I assume you believe you’ll actually be of help to Aiden.”

“Hm~?”

“Let’s see then. Which one of us is more suitable as his ‘instructor.’”

Her statement came across like a declaration.

“The loser has to stop interfering with whatever the winner does with Aiden.”

Katia’s face twisted in surprise, clearly not expecting Noel to come on so strong.

“Well, well, that’s interesting.”

Katia exhaled with a chuckle.

“Get ready for a humiliating defeat, Lionheart.”

“I should be saying that, Your Highness. You’ve had an easy life as royalty, but this time won’t be so simple.”

“You’re the one who should prepare to taste the bitterness of defeat for the first time.”

This is escalating again.

Aiden couldn’t help but think that, beads of sweat forming as the tension mounted.

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