Kage Noir had always believed that happiness didn't need to be loud.
His life on Earth was quiet, predictable, and wonderfully boring. He woke up at the same time every morning, brewed his coffee the same way, walked the same streets, and returned to the same modest apartment every night. No chaos. No drama. No reckless ambition. To most people, it would have been a dull existence.
To Kage, it was perfect.
There was comfort in routine. Peace in knowing exactly what tomorrow would look like. He never chased greatness or excitement — he simply enjoyed existing.
And then, in a single breath, everything ended.
There was no warning. No argument. No final words exchanged. Just the sudden presence of a stranger, the cold kiss of metal against his temple, and a deafening crack that shattered the calm of the street.
Pain flared for less than a heartbeat.
Then darkness swallowed him whole.
---
Light returned first.
Not the harsh glare of street lamps or the pale glow of sunrise through curtains — but something warmer, richer, almost alive. Kage's eyelids fluttered open as unfamiliar scents flooded his senses: sweet grass, sharp ozone, and a faint metallic tang in the air.
He wasn't lying on concrete.
Beneath him stretched a field of strange violet grass that shimmered faintly as if infused with starlight. Above, the sky swirled with amber clouds layered against deep indigo hues. Three moons hung faintly in the heavens, visible even in daylight.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
"This… isn't Earth."
Kage shot upright and touched his head. His fingers brushed smooth, unbroken skin. No blood. No wound. No lingering pain. The memory of the gunshot remained vivid — but his body was perfectly intact.
A translucent golden interface suddenly flickered into existence before his eyes.
---
[ Intelligence Guild Creation System Online.... ]
[ Main Objective: Build the first Intelligence Guild in the world of Elyria ]
---
Kage froze, staring at the glowing text hovering in midair.
"A… system?"
The words felt unreal as they left his mouth.
Before he could question it further, streams of information flooded into his mind — not as painful visions, but as intuitive understanding. This world was called **Elyria**, a realm dominated by magic, knights, monsters, and multiple intelligent races: humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin, and more.
Power here revolved around a single fundamental force: **Mana** — an energy source that fueled physical enhancement, spellcasting, artifacts, and supernatural feats. A person's social status, military value, and even political influence were determined by their Mana Capacity.
Strength wasn't optional in Elyria. It defined survival.
A structured ranking system governed the hierarchy of power:
F–E Rank: Civilians, laborers, untrained individuals.
D–C Rank:Awakened fighters — standard knights, adventurers, minor mages.
B–A Rank: Elites — guild masters, royal guards, archmages.
S Rank : Heroes and calamities — beings capable of reshaping battlefields and history itself.
Kage instinctively checked his own status.
Rank: F.
He let out a slow breath.
"In other words… I'm basically helpless."
In a direct fight, even a mediocre soldier could overpower him without effort. This wasn't a world where a peaceful, boring life could exist easily — monsters roamed the wilderness, political schemes brewed behind noble walls, and wars were settled by individuals who could tear through armies.
Yet instead of fear, something unexpected stirred inside him.
Excitement.
His gaze drifted back to the floating interface.
An intelligence guild.
Not warriors. Not adventurers. Not brute force.
Information.
Influence.
Control from the shadows.
Kage's lips slowly curved into a wide grin.
"So that's it," he murmured. "If I can't be the strongest… I'll be the one who knows everything."
The system had given him a purpose — a direction in a world that could easily swallow the weak. More than that, it offered him something he never had back on Earth.
A reason to move forward.
A reason to build something meaningful.
In the distance, beyond the rolling violet plains, a small fortified city rested against the horizon. Stone walls glinted beneath the strange sky, banners fluttering above its gates.
His starting point.
Fueled by this newfound purpose — determined to make his second life truly worthwhile — Kage adjusted his simple tunic and began walking toward the city.
Branch by branch.
City by city.
Continent by continent.
From a nobody reborn in an unfamiliar world, Kage Noir would build the first intelligence guild in Elyria — a network that would see everything, hear everything, and quietly shape the fate of nations.
His peaceful, boring life was gone.
And for the first time, he was ready to embrace the chaos.