Novels by Omega_Moon

AT THE SAME TIMEHUANThe guild's training hall smelled faintly of oil, sweat, and slightly burned wood, and I could hear the occasional 'clang” of steel from other corners where newer adventurers practiced. I had barely stepped inside when the old man, who everyone whispered about but no one spoke to lightly, lifted an eyebrow at me."You." He said. Not a greeting, not a question. Just you, like I had intruded into history itself."Yes?" I said, my voice steadier than I felt."Sword." He replied. Just one word.I drew my blade, steel sang softly as it left the sheath. The old man’s eyes twitched ever so slightly just enough for me to catch that glimmer of respect."Come closer." He said, motioning me toward the center of the hall. "Let's see what you have got.""Kid's about to be embarrassed."Garrick leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, and muttered. "Don't underestimate him."Charlie tilted his head, unimpressed.I ignored both, focused. The system pulsed gently in my mind."SWOR

AT THE SAME TIMEHUANThe tavern noise rebuilt itself slowly after the soldiers left. Mugs clinked again, conversations resumed, but thinner, watchful. The man across the room still hadn't looked away from me. He stood and lanternlight followed him as he approached our table. His hood slid back deliberately this time. Horns, curved, dark, unmistakable. He stopped beside us."You are not subtle." He said calmly."You staring for a reason?"Garrick's chair scraped slightly as he shifted."Just confirming."The man tapped one of his horns with a knuckle. His eyes moved to me."Name's Charlie. C-rank. Half demon."He said and tilted his head faintly. "Like you."I held his gaze."And?" I asked.He pulled out a chair and sat down."You fight controlled, efficient. You didn't flinch when the palace walked in." His eyes narrowed slightly. "That's not common.""Spit it out."Garrick folded his arms.Charlie leaned forward."I am building a party, small, strong. I want him in it."Charlie explaine

AT THE SAME TIME HUANI didn't move toward the mission board again, instead, I turned back to Ina."One question." I said."Yes?"She looked up from her paperwork. "Where do adventurers eat?"I asked."There's stew here. Cheap and filling."Her brow lifted slightly."I would prefer something… local."I said."First payout and already upgrading your standards?"A faint smirk touched her lips. "Information is easier to gather where people relax." I replied evenly.That earned a quiet huff of amusement. From behind me, a chair scraped loudly."If the kid wants real food, don't let him waste coin on the guild slop."A male voice said.I turned around and saw the broad shouldered adventurer from earlier standing, stretching his arms over his head. He was older, late twenties, maybe early thirties, with a scar across his nose and heavy leather armor worn soft with use. He jerked his thumb toward the door."Come on. I'll show you a place that won't poison you."He said."Don't scare him off, Gar

AT THE SAME TIMEHUANThe gates swallowed me into noise and motion. Stone streets, iron lanterns. The smell of bread, sweat, oil, and steel. The capital was alive in a way the forest never could be. I kept my pace steady, posture relaxed but alert. My horns pressed lightly against the inside of my hood. My tail stayed concealed beneath my coat, moving only when needed for balance. The Adventurer's guild stood three streets in from the main avenue broad stone building, twin blade emblem mounted above the doors. Voices spilled from inside. Laughter, arguments, coin clinking as I stepped inside.Conversations dipped slightly when I entered, but only slightly. A beastkin with wolf ears barely glanced up. A tall man with faint scales along his jaw continued drinking. Hybrids were common here. Good. I approached the reception desk. A woman with ash brown hair tied neatly behind her head looked up from the paperwork. Her expression was sharp but not unfriendly."Welcome to the Adventurer's g

AT THE SAME TIMEHUANThe impact rattled my bones. Wood groaned, iron screamed. I planted both feet into the dirt and drove my claws into the spinning wheel. Fire flared, not wild, just enough heat to grip. My tail snapped outward for balance as the horses reared, foam at their mouths."Pull! Pull the reins!" Someone shouted."I am!" The driver yelled back.The carriage fishtailed once, twice, then I forced it sideways, boots carving trenches into the road."Stop!" I growled through clenched teeth.With one final heave, the axle jolted hard, and the carriage slammed to a halt. The horses trembled, but they were no longer running. I exhaled slowly, smoke curling from my fingertips. The carriage door creaked open. A middle aged merchant leaned out, eyes wide, not in horror, but shock."You-! By the Twin Moons, you just stopped it!"A merchant shouted.Behind him, a young guard hopped down, staring openly at my horns and tail."Demon blood?" He asked cautiously."Half." I replied, straigh

FEW MOMENTS AFTERHUANDarkness pressed against my eyes, heavy and suffocating. The air smelled of damp earth and pine. My body ached, every muscle stiff, but I was alive. Somehow, I was alive. I tried to move, and the forest floor was cold beneath me, leaves brushing against my arms. Then a voice, calm, commanding, yet mechanical, filled my mind."Host detected. Consciousness confirmed. Greetings, Huan Bloodstone. I am the Forbidden evolution system. Your awakening has begun."A voice said."W-what, what is this? Who are you?" I whispered, heart racing."I am your guide, your enhancer, your evolutionary protocol. You were on the brink of death. Now you are mine to refine."The system said.A strange heat pulsed through me, and I felt my body stretching, growing. I looked down at my hands, my nails sharp, veins pulsing faintly with energy. I lifted my head and caught sight of my reflection in a puddle. My horns small, dark, just sprouting from my temples, curved subtly, barely noticeabl