Pear stood frozen in front of the door, her eyes wide as she stared at the figure of Thom Haye standing in the middle of the room.Elias immediately reacted when he saw his sister’s expression. He quickly grabbed Pear’s arm, afraid that she might suddenly attack Thom.“Pear! Don’t!” Elias shouted as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.But what happened next was completely unexpected.Pear remained motionless. Her curvy body seemed frozen like a statue. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her lips trembled uncontrollably.In a voice barely above a whisper, she softly said, “…King.”Everyone in the room fell silent.Pear turned to Elias with a confused look in her tear-filled eyes and asked in a trembling voice, “Which one… is Thom Haye?”Without saying a word, Elias pointed toward Thom.Thom took a step forward, his voice calm and steady.“Yeah, girl, you’re not mistaken... I’m Thom Haye.”Pear could not say another word. Tears immediately streamed down her cheeks. Without s

Pear ran aimlessly through the middle of the night. Her tired legs carried her back to the small pier on the edge of Valemoor, where an old ship belonging to her longtime friend was anchored. She climbed aboard, breathing heavily, her body trembling violently. As soon as she reached her small, dilapidated cabin, Pear collapsed onto the wooden floor. She sobbed uncontrollably.“Why… why did it have to be him?!” she cried between sobs. “The man I wanted to kill for years… turned out to be the man who saved my life a year ago? King… the man I respected…”Pear hugged her knees, her plump body shaking violently. The memory came flooding back once again.—One year earlier, aboard a large cargo ship—Pear was carrying out her nightly “work” as a shipboard prostitute. That night, she received a request from three ship bosses. At first, she thought it was nothing unusual. But the moment she entered the cabin, she was terrified.The three men forced her to do something horrifying. They ord

Morning in Valemoor Village was still wrapped in a thin layer of mist when Thom Haye stood on the newly built training field.In front of him, about twenty-eight people—eighteen young men and ten young women—stood tall, their spirits burning with determination. They were the Nameless Army, the village youths who wanted to become stronger.Thom walked slowly in front of their ranks, his sharp eyes studying each of them.“You are my new soldiers,” Thom said in a firm, commanding voice. “Not ordinary soldiers. You will become the protectors of this village, and perhaps one day, protectors of something greater.”One of the young men, broad-shouldered and muscular, raised his hand.“Mr. Thom, will we have a special name? Like the elite units in the cities?”Thom smiled faintly.“Nameless Army sounds pretty good. Let's stick with that. Names aren't important. What matters is that you become far stronger than you are now.”“A soldier is not great because they know how to wield a weapon,” he

At the secret headquarters of the Golden Circle, located in a towering building, the atmosphere inside the strategy room was cold and filled with tension.General Kris, a 55-year-old high-ranking officer in a neatly pressed military uniform, stood before a large screen with his arms crossed over his chest.“So, he’s hiding out and building his own system of rules in that virgin village?” General Kris asked in a low, mocking tone.One of his subordinates nodded quickly. “That’s correct, General. A local resident told us everything. Thom Haye is training the villagers to become a military force.”General Kris narrowed his eyes. “Valemoor Village is heavily guarded and difficult for outsiders to enter. They’re known for being ruthless with their machetes. How are we supposed to get in there?”His subordinate smiled slyly. “General, there’s no need to worry. We’ve already partnered with a woman named Pear. The same woman who reported the whereabouts of Thom Haye and his family.”“Pear?” G

The long night felt like an endless torment.Pear, Vigo, Rhen, and Kael hung helplessly, tangled in the thick web of ropes that held them tightly bound.Their bodies were piled awkwardly on top of one another—Pear trapped in the middle with her face pressed against Vigo's chest, Rhen's leg wrapped strangely around Kael's waist, while their arms were pinned tightly against their sides.Every movement only caused the net to tighten further, leaving red marks across their skin. The cold night air seeped into their bones, but exhaustion eventually overcame them.By the time dawn approached, all four had fallen asleep in thoroughly humiliating positions. Pear's head drooped against Vigo's shoulder, Rhen's mouth hung open with drool dripping down his chin, and Kael snored softly despite his neck being bent at an uncomfortable angle.Only the sounds of crickets and the wind kept them company.At six in the morning, while a thin layer of mist still blanketed the village, a sudden splash of ic