2026-02-19 03:27:46AT THE SAME TIME
HUAN
The 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, straightening.
"Thought so, the eyes."He nodded once.
The merchant climbed down more carefully, brushing dust from his coat. He circled me once, studying the faint heat shimmering along my arms.
"Those horses would have overturned us at the next bend." He muttered. "You saved my cargo, and our necks."
"Is he dangerous?"One of the women inside peeked out.
"If he was, we had been ash already."The guard snorted lightly.
A few nervous laughs followed. Hybrids weren’t rare here. Beastkin, elf blooded, demon touched. I wasn't unique just noticeable. The merchant stepped closer, squinting at my small horns.
"Newly manifested?"He asked.
"Yes."I said.
"Ah." He nodded knowingly. "First evolution stage. My nephew sprouted fangs at fifteen. Scared his mother half to death."
A faint smile tugged at my lips despite myself.
"I didn't sprout fangs." I sighed.
"Give it time." The guard muttered.
The tension eased further.
"Right then, payment."The merchant clapped his hands once.
He pulled a pouch from inside his coat and weighed it thoughtfully before handing it over.
"Fifteen silver. Fair for road assistance."He said.
I accepted it without complaint. Logical, not exaggerated.
"Thank you." He added more sincerely. "Most would have jumped out of the way."
"I needed the experience." I said honestly.
"Experience?"The guard blinked.
I ignored that.
"EXPERIENCE GAINED: 90XP. LEVEL 5 to 6. STATS INCREASED."The system said.
Warmth spread through my veins as the system pulsed again.
"TRAIT OBSERVED: CONTROLLED FORCE + PROTECTIVE INTERVENTION. NEW PATH UNLOCK CONDITION MET. SKILL POSSIBILITY: SWORDSMAN (INITIATE). REQUIREMENT: WIELD A BLADE IN COMBAT."The system said.
A blade, interesting. The merchant gestured toward the distant road.
"Capital's two hours that way. Adventurer's guild pays better than roadside heroics." A merchant said.
"You fight like you have got instinct. If you register, they will test you."The guard gave me a measured look.
"I will." I said simply.
The merchant extended a hand. I looked at it briefly before shaking. His grip was firm, warm.
"No hard feelings about the horns." He said with a grin. "Seen worse. Met a minotaur-blood once. Broke chairs when he sneezed."
A chuckle rippled through the small group, I stepped back as they righted the carriage.
"See you in the city, demon-blood."The guard gave me a final nod.
"Huan." I corrected.
"See you in the city, Huan."He smirked.
As the carriage rolled away at a much safer pace, I stood alone on the forest road again. Fifteen silver in my hand, time to move forward. The capital walls rose higher with every step. Stone towers. Bannered gates. Crowds moving in and out like currents in a river. I kept my hood up, not to hide completely, just to dull attention. My horns were still small enough to pass as common demon-blood traits. My tail stayed wrapped beneath my coat. As I approached the outer gate, voices overlapped in noise vendors shouting, guards checking travel permits, children weaving through legs. Then something caught my eye, a board near the gate. Not a mission board, a notice board. Dozens of papers nailed into wood. Trade postings, bounties, missing persons. I wasn't looking for it, but I saw it. Hair shorter, eyes less sharp. The royal crest stamped in the corner.
'MISSING - THIRD PRINCE HUAN BLOODSTONE Reward for verified information.'
For a moment, everything went quiet in my head. Even the system stilled. I stepped closer. The sketch wasn't perfect, but it was close enough.
"Poor kid." A woman beside me muttered. "Vanished during awakening, they say."
"Royal family's been searching it." A man replied. "Big reward too."
"Think he ran away?"One asked.
"Or got eaten."Another added.
They moved on, I didn't. I stared at the drawing of who I used to be. Weak shoulders, soft jaw, no fire in the eyes.
"SYSTEM NOTICE: IDENTITY RISK DETECTED RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN INCOGNITO STATUS."The system said.
"I know." I murmured internally.
A guard walked past the board, glancing briefly at the posters, my heart didn't race. It didn't need to, I looked nothing like that boy anymore. Taller, sharper. Horns curving faintly beneath my hood. Different posture entirely. It was strange seeing myself labeled as missing. Dead, in everyone's minds. I reached up and pressed two fingers lightly against the edge of the paper, not tearing it down. Not yet.
"Soon." I whispered.
A younger guard nearby noticed me lingering.
"You know him?" He asked casually.
I let my hand fall.
"No."I sighed.
"Royal business anyway. Above our pay."He shrugged.
"Is the reward still active?" I asked evenly.
"Of course, king won't let it go."A man said.
I stepped back from the board. The capital gates loomed ahead. Crowds flowed inward, behind me, the forest. Ahead of me, stone, politics, power and a version of myself nailed to a wooden board.
"OBJECTIVE UPDATE: SURPASS PAST IDENTITY. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: GROW STRONG ENOUGH TO RETURN ON YOUR TERMS."The system said.
I pulled my hood slightly lower and walked toward the gate. I wasn't missing. I was evolving and when I returned it wouldn't be as the boy on that poster.
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9. A training session by Henry!
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
8. A 'Black Lotus' party
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
7. Royal guards search in tavern
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
6. Adventurer's guild and D rank
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
5. A trip to the capital
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
4. A forbidden evolution system!
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
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