The wasteland was quiet again.
Too quiet.
---
After the appearance of the Abyss…
Even the wind felt different.
Heavier.
Like the world itself had noticed something was wrong.
---
Rai and the others returned to the settlement in silence.
No one joked.
No one spoke loudly.
Not even Lucian.
---
The gates opened slowly.
The outcasts immediately looked toward them.
Nervous.
Waiting.
---
Grik forced a laugh.
"…Well."
"We're alive."
---
No one laughed back.
---
Because they had all felt it.
That pressure.
That eye.
That thing.
---
Ruun walked beside Rai quietly.
"…The entire settlement felt the Abyss."
---
Rai nodded once.
"Yes."
---
Karn crossed his arms.
"…Fear is spreading."
---
Rai looked around.
At the demons.
At the workers.
At the frightened expressions.
---
"…Then we remove it."
---
Lucian finally spoke.
"…How?"
---
Rai's eyes remained calm.
---
"By becoming stronger than it."
---
Silence followed.
---
Then—
Lucian grinned again.
"…Yeah."
"There's the boss."
---
Later — Inside Rai's Room
The room was simple.
Quiet.
Dark.
---
Rai sat alone.
The system screen floating before him.
---
SYSTEM STATUS
Name: Rai
Rank: D-Rank
Title: Outcast King
Skills:
Dark Dominion Lv.3
Shadow Step Lv.4
Void Strike Lv.2
Minor Regeneration
Combat Adaptation
Abyss Resistance
Will Domination Lv.1
Special Trait:
Immortal Vessel
---
Rai stared at the final line.
Immortal Vessel.
---
"…What exactly am I?"
---
No answer came.
---
But the voice inside him whispered softly.
---
YOU ARE MINE.
---
Rai's eyes darkened slightly.
"…No."
---
The voice laughed quietly.
---
NOT YET.
---
The system flickered again.
---
NEW MAIN QUEST
Prepare for the Abyss
Objectives:
Expand settlement into a fortress city
Reach B-Rank
Gather powerful allies
Uncover the truth of the Demon King Vessel
Failure: Total Destruction
---
Rai stared at the screen silently.
Then closed it.
---
"…So it begins."
---
The Next Morning
The settlement exploded with activity.
---
Walls reinforced.
Watchtowers built.
Weapons crafted.
Training intensified.
---
Everyone moved with purpose now.
---
Because fear alone wasn't enough anymore.
Now—
They had a reason to fight.
---
Grik shouted while carrying supplies.
"MOVE FASTER!"
"If we die, I'm haunting all of you!"
---
Lucian sat on a broken wall, watching people train.
"…This place got serious real quick."
---
Karn stood nearby.
"…It had to."
---
Lucian smirked.
"You scared?"
---
Karn answered honestly.
"…Yes."
---
Lucian blinked.
Then laughed loudly.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Wow, you actually admitted it!"
---
Karn looked at him blankly.
"…Only idiots fear nothing."
---
Lucian pointed at himself proudly.
"Then I'm the king of idiots."
---
Ruun walked past them.
"…That explains a lot."
---
Far Away — Human Kingdom
Inside the royal capital—
The white-armored commander stood before the king.
---
"…An unknown force appeared in the Demon Wastelands."
---
The king frowned.
"…Related to the vessel?"
---
"…Yes."
---
The commander's eyes sharpened.
"…And the man called Rai survived contact with it."
---
Silence filled the throne room.
---
One noble spoke nervously.
"…Should we eliminate him before he becomes a threat?"
---
Another shook his head.
"…Or recruit him."
---
The commander spoke coldly.
"…A man who commands demons…"
"…cannot be trusted."
---
Iron Citadel — Demon Realm
Demon Lord Valthor sat silently on his throne.
---
A subordinate knelt before him.
"…The Abyss has moved."
---
Valthor's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Earlier than expected."
---
The subordinate hesitated.
"…What are your orders?"
---
Valthor slowly smiled.
---
"…Prepare the generals."
---
His crimson eyes glowed.
---
"…If the vessel survives…"
"…then we will break him ourselves."
---
Back at the Settlement
Night returned.
Torches burned across the growing fortress.
---
At the highest point—
Rai stood alone again.
Looking over everything he had built.
---
A home for outcasts.
For monsters.
For the abandoned.
---
And now—
A target.
---
Soft footsteps approached.
---
Seriha.
---
She stopped beside him silently.
Pink hair moving gently in the wind.
---
"…You've been standing here for hours."
---
Rai didn't look at her.
"…Thinking."
---
"…About the Abyss?"
---
"…About war."
---
Seriha looked at the settlement below.
"…Are you afraid?"
---
A long silence followed.
---
Then—
"…Yes."
---
Seriha blinked slightly.
Probably the first honest answer she had heard from him in a long time.
---
Rai continued quietly.
"…Not of dying."
---
His ice blue eyes looked over the people below.
---
"…Of failing them."
---
Seriha stared at him silently.
Then—
Very softly—
---
"…You won't."
---
Rai looked at her for the first time.
---
Her expression remained cold.
But her eyes were gentle.
---
And for a brief moment—
The pressure around Rai disappeared.
---
The night became quiet again.
---
But far beyond the horizon—
War was coming.
Slowly.
Inevitably.
---
And when it arrived—
The entire world would change.