The Court Supreme of the Global Hunter Federation was a place where only the most critical decisions were made—wars, tower raids, world-altering events. But today, all the major guild leaders, S-rankers, and association directors sat in tense silence for one boy.
Rover Cheon.
He stood in the center of the courtroom, bound in suppression cuffs, draped in a standard medical robe, bruised yet eerily composed. The lights above cast a pale glow on his face, highlighting the dried blood on his cheek… and the fresh, trembling tears now forming beneath his eyes.
"I don't know what happened to me," Rover spoke at last, voice calm but breaking at the edges. "Even if you kill me right here… I still wouldn't be able to explain what I've become."
A murmur ran through the courtroom.
"I… don't remember anything after the wyvern struck me. I engaged it—burning with rage, hatred. It was the same one. The one that killed my mother."
He looked up. His eyes glistened.
"And the soldier. The one who died shielding me. He screamed like a demon… and died like a hero."
Rover clenched his fists, veins rising in his arms.
"All I wanted—all I ever wanted—was revenge."
Gasps rippled through the hall as a single tear slid down his cheek, tracing a trail of fire down his face.
"I remember its tail. I remember pain. Then… darkness. And after that…"
He paused.
And then—a sudden voice reverberated in his head again. Ancient. Echoing.
"Don't say anything more… my child."
Rover staggered. His eyes widened. His mouth quivered.
"This voice," he said aloud, looking around. "I… I remember it. Who are you?!"
But the courtroom was silent.
The voice had vanished once more.
The S-rankers and guild leaders exchanged worried glances. Even Christoff Erickson of the Celestial Order leaned forward in his seat, eyes narrowed.
Rover's shoulders slumped.
"I don't even know if I'm still human… but I know one thing."
He raised his head, defiant. "I'm still part of this world. I still carry the pain of this world. I still cry. I still grieve. So if that makes me a monster… then maybe we were all monsters long before me."
Silence.
Then—applause. Faint at first. Then building.
But the Hunter Association guards stepped in. "That's enough," one barked. "He needs rest. No interviews. No contact."
"Wait—!" Guild leaders shouted.
"We need to speak with him!"
But the guards closed ranks around Rover and escorted him out.
Yet the world had already seen enough.
News headlines exploded:
> "Rover Cheon: The Dragon-Slayer is Still Human!"
"World's Strongest Mystery: All Guilds Eye the Boy Who Killed Calamity."
---
Kuroda's Apartment
Professor Kuroda's living room was a storm of paper, ink, and ancient tomes. Mina threw off her coat, exhausted. Ayaka collapsed onto the couch.
"Nothing," Mina muttered. "Not a single record of what happened to him. No transformation magic, no soul-binding curse… nothing in any known book."
Professor Kuroda pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're missing something. Something bigger than us."
Suddenly—Vex screamed from the other room.
"PROFESSOR! LOOK!"
They all rushed in. The TV flickered—showing Rover's courtroom scene. His tear-stained face. His words.
"He's alive…" Ayaka whispered, eyes wide.
"He's safe," Mina said, trembling with relief.
And the professor just smiled, quietly.
---
In the Shadows — The Dark Triad
Somewhere deep in the Dark Continent, hidden within cursed ruins, eight shadows stood around a glowing map.
Reid Stone, cloaked in obsidian threads, stared silently.
"The voice inside him…" whispered Mae Lou, her soul-bound tome floating beside her. "That wasn't human. Not even close."
"The Demon Fang" Kim Hwan's eyes burned red. "He's still evolving. We were right to watch him."
"The next vessel," Yao muttered.
"Or the last seal," Dao added.
Kellan Graves grinned like a lunatic. "Oh, I like him. He broke the world and cried about it. Delicious."
Reid finally spoke.
"Watch him. But do not interfere… yet. The moment he remembers who called him… the world will tremble again."
---
That Night — Somewhere Alone
Rover sat alone in a sterile room, ceiling lights humming above. Tomorrow, they said, he'd be free. But peace still evaded him.
"Can you come out again?" he whispered. "That voice… talk to me. What did you do to my body?"
No reply.
"Was I hallucinating?"
He stared up at the ceiling. Cold. Empty.
"Mom… I avenged you," he whispered, voice cracking. "You can rest now."
Tears fell freely.
"Dad… I wish I could see you again. I wish none of this happened."
He curled up slowly on the bed, face damp, eyes distant.
---
Meanwhile — Gan Sae Bok's Apartment
The once-proud B-rank fire user, Gan, stared at the TV with a pale face.
Rover's face filled the screen, defiant and alive.
"He's free…?" Gan whispered, his voice shaking. "He's still alive… after all that?"
He backed away from the screen, heart pounding. Panic tightening around his throat.
"I… I'm gonna die," Gan muttered.
"What have I done…?"
To be continue...