Serian walked into the house, the door creaking slightly as he pushed it open.
Adrian glanced up when he heard the door, his eyes narrowing slightly. "How was the exam?" he asked, his voice flat, as though it didn't matter whether Serian had passed or failed.
Serian took off his shoes and walked into the living room, sitting down without much thought. He gave Adrian a casual glance, not really caring about the outcome of the exam. "I'm fine," he answered simply, his tone as calm and emotionless as ever.
Adrian studied him for a moment, his sharp eyes flicking over Serian's unchanged demeanor. "You didn't get hurt?" he asked again, his gaze searching for any signs of injury. But Serian shook his head slowly.
"No." Serian's response was brief, his attention shifting elsewhere as he settled back into the chair. Adrian sighed, his frustration barely visible but still present.
"Good. You're joining the second exam next week, I assume?" Adrian asked, his voice betraying a hint of disbelief. He didn't know how Serian had managed to stay calm during the first exam, much less make it through without a scratch. It was almost unnatural, the way Serian carried himself.
Serian nodded, his face still blank. "Yes."
Adrian stared at him, the words hanging in the air for a moment. "You truly don't understand how... unusual you are, do you?"
Serian didn't answer. He simply stared off into the distance, as though the conversation had already lost his interest.
Suddenly, the television in the corner of the room flickered to life, drawing both of their attention. The screen showed a breaking news report about a recent incident in the northern district. The man on the screen was unmistakable.
"Breaking news," the reporter's voice rang out, "A breach in the third base northern district. Monsters—mutants—have overrun the area. The situation is escalating rapidly, but a man has appeared on the scene."
Serian's gaze narrowed slightly as he watched the footage. It was the same man he had seen earlier, back in the city, at the café. The man was walking through the chaos with effortless grace, his aura heavy, commanding, as though nothing in the world could stand in his way. The monsters—mutants, as the reporter called them—were no match for him. They charged at him with vicious roars, but he struck them down one by one, each blow precise and deadly.
The scene shifted to show the monsters turning back into humans—humans who had been infected, now deformed and dangerous. The man's actions were swift and merciless, ending the lives of those who had once been human without hesitation.
Serian observed the scene with quiet interest, his stoic expression never changing.
"What's different about these monsters?" he asked softly, mostly to himself, as he watched the man move through the carnage with almost supernatural precision.
Adrian, who had been watching the news with a mix of annoyance and understanding, looked over at Serian. He sighed deeply, clearly frustrated with Serian's lack of awareness.
"You really live under a rock, don't you?" Adrian said with a slight shake of his head. "Those are Executioners. People who have the authority to kill mutants—infected humans. They've been around for years, tasked with cleansing the world of these threats."
Serian turned his gaze back to Adrian, his eyes unreadable. He didn't react to the label of "Executioner," but the thought lingered in his mind. The man on the screen… he wasn't just a monster hunter. He was something more, someone entrusted with a dark, dangerous responsibility.
"Executioners…" Serian murmured under his breath, almost as if testing the word on his tongue.
Adrian sighed again, realizing that Serian wasn't interested in the explanation. "People call them tyrants, but they're necessary. If these mutants are allowed to roam free, they'll destroy everything. So, the Executioners do what they must."
Serian didn't answer right away. He simply continued to watch the screen, his gaze distant as the man on the news finished his work, leaving a trail of dead monsters in his wake.
In Serian's mind, it was simple. If something posed a threat to the world, it must be erased. He didn't see the execution as a moral dilemma or a tyrannical act. It was just the way the world worked. Weaknesses were eliminated. The world continued. That was all.
The news report shifted to the aftermath, showing the chaos now contained, but Serian's mind had already moved beyond it. He stood up from his chair, his expression as unchanged as ever.
"Humans are weak," Serian said quietly, almost as an afterthought. He wasn't speaking to Adrian, but the words were still aimed in his direction.
Adrian didn't respond immediately. He was used to Serian's detached manner by now, but there was something about his indifference that always unsettled him. Finally, he just nodded, his tone dry as ever.
"Yes. But some of us still have to clean up the mess."
Serian didn't respond to that either. He was already walking toward the door, ready for whatever came next. The world was simple in his eyes. It was full of humans, and then there were those who stood above them—those who had the strength to decide who lived and who didn't.
"The second exam," Serian said, as though he was simply stating a fact, "I'll join it next week."
With that, he stepped out of the room, leaving Adrian alone to reflect on their conversation. Adrian couldn't help but shake his head, a small frown forming on his face as he watched Serian's retreating figure. There was something unnerving about the boy, something that couldn't be easily defined.
The world may be weak, but Serian seemed to see it as little more than a game of survival.
*****
Serian stepped through the teleportation gate with ease, the flicker of magic leaving no trace as the portal closed behind him. As he walked through the vibrant forest, the air was thick with the scent of pine and earth. The sounds of nature—birds chirping, the rustling of leaves, and the occasional snap of a twig underfoot—seemed to blend in a harmonious symphony.
His presence here in this forest felt different. To those around him, he would have seemed like any other young man, walking elegantly, his long, silver hair gently swaying in the breeze. But there was a certain air to him, an aura that subtly marked him as something far beyond the realm of mere mortals.
He was like a god walking among humans, a figure that belonged to neither realm but simply observed. He didn't boast of his existence, nor did he show any signs of arrogance. His beauty, too, was undeniable, but it wasn't the type that demanded attention. It was gentle, ethereal, like the soft glow of the moon on a quiet night. He didn't look human, but his features weren't foreign either—they were simply... beyond.
Serian's violet eyes gazed around the forest with quiet curiosity. He stepped forward and reached out to touch the nearest tree. His fingers brushed against the bark, and as soon as he made contact, he could feel the subtle trembling of the tree, as if it recognized his presence.
The power that radiated from him, his connection to the ancient energies of the world, caused the very plants around him to respond in kind. It wasn't something he forced—it simply happened. The trees, the earth, and the air—they all resonated with him.
He pulled his hand back slowly, his gaze still fixed on the forest. He could feel the pulse of life around him, the way the trees and the animals existed in delicate balance. The forest wasn't just a collection of living things. It was a system, a network, something that carried knowledge in its roots and whispers in its leaves. It was... alive in ways that humans could never fully comprehend.
As he stepped further into the forest, his senses sharpened, and the world around him seemed to unfold. His mind began to process the information, like pieces of an ancient puzzle. The forest was full of answers if only one knew how to listen.
Serian walked deeper, his footsteps soft against the earth, unhurried. He wasn't in a rush to understand everything at once. There was time—time to observe, time to learn, time to feel the subtle forces that guided the world. The beauty of the forest, the quiet hum of nature—it was almost peaceful.
He paused, standing still for a moment, his violet eyes scanning the path ahead. The trees were thick here, the underbrush dense. There was no sign of human presence. The world felt old here—ancient, even. It was as if time itself had slowed down in this place, and everything that had come before had left its mark on the land.
Serian looked around him, his expression thoughtful. He could feel the weight of the world pressing down on the forest. He could feel the magic, the essence of the Earth, the quiet heartbeat of this place. But he was searching for something more. Something he couldn't name just yet.
His thoughts drifted back to the human world—the trials, the people, the mundane lives of those around him. They were so caught up in their struggle for power, their quest for strength and survival, yet they never seemed to understand the world they lived in. They didn't see the connections between everything—the plants, the animals, the land.
Serian's gaze turned toward the path that lay ahead of him. He didn't know where it led, but he wasn't concerned. He would walk it, as he had walked every path before. He would observe, learn, and understand. The world, with all its complexities, was waiting for him to uncover its secrets.
And so, Serian continued, walking through the forest with no destination in mind. He wasn't in a rush to reach the end. He was simply here to understand the world—to feel it, to live it, and to become part of it.
The beast was monstrous, its massive form covered in thick, black fur. Its eyes gleamed with fury, and it let out a low growl as it charged at the soldiers. They fired their guns, sending shots echoing through the forest, but the creature's thick hide absorbed most of the bullets, only a few seeming to pierce it. The soldiers were struggling to keep their distance, each one trying to avoid the beast's furious claws and fangs.
Serian, however, wasn't fazed. He had seen far worse. To him, this was nothing more than a brief disturbance in an otherwise peaceful landscape. He casually made his way to a nearby bench, sitting down as though it were just another normal day. His silver hair shimmered faintly under the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, and his calm gaze seemed to take in the chaotic scene without a flicker of concern.
One of the soldiers screamed as the beast swiped at him, sending him flying into a tree. But Serian didn't react. He pulled out his thick book from his satchel, flipping through the pages with methodical precision, as though he had all the time in the world. His eyes glanced at the beast once, but there was no sign of worry in his expression.
As the monster approached the group of soldiers once more, its growls reverberating through the forest, Serian's gaze turned from his book to the creature's mana core. Without hesitation, he stood up from the bench, his body moving with fluid grace. His footsteps were silent as he approached the beast, completely ignoring the soldiers who were still firing their weapons in vain.
The beast's feral eyes locked onto Serian as he drew closer, but there was no fear in the young man's gaze. Serian simply raised the book in his hand, holding it by the spine, and swung the edge down with precise force.
The moment the corner of the book connected with the beast's exposed mana core, a shockwave of energy rippled through the air. The core shattered with an audible crack, and the beast's body instantly froze. The soldiers watched in stunned silence as the monstrous creature crumbled to the ground, its form flickering and shifting as it reverted back to its human state—a mutant, now lifeless.
Serian stood over the fallen creature, his expression unchanged, as though he had just swatted away a fly. He took a moment to look down at the now human corpse, his violet eyes scanning it with detached curiosity.
The soldiers, still in shock, were silent, unsure of what to say. They had just witnessed something they could hardly comprehend—a young man taking down a beast with nothing more than a book.
One of the soldiers, still catching his breath, looked at Serian and asked, "Who... who are you?"
Serian didn't respond immediately, still calmly examining the creature. He glanced over at the soldier, his gaze disinterested. "Just someone passing by," he replied with a slight shrug, as if this sort of event was an everyday occurrence.
Another soldier, clearly not used to this level of nonchalance, couldn't help but speak up. "You... you just killed that thing with a book. What the hell are you?"
Serian raised an eyebrow, his expression still serene. "It's just a book," he said flatly, "Nothing special. The monster's mana core was weak. It had no chance."
The soldiers were left stunned, glancing at each other with confusion. They had no idea what kind of person they were dealing with, but they didn't dare press further. Instead, they turned their attention back to the now-shattered corpse of the mutant.
As Serian turned to leave, one of the soldiers called after him. "Hey! Aren't you going to explain yourself? What was that about?"
Serian glanced back at them one last time, his eyes unblinking. "Humans create monsters. Monsters kill. And when they do, they must be erased. It's simple." With that, he turned his back to them, walking away without another word, his pace leisurely and unhurried as if he had just completed a mundane task.
The soldiers watched him go, bewildered and a little intimidated. They had never seen anyone so calm in the face of such danger. Serian was a mystery to them, one they couldn't begin to understand. But as for Serian, he didn't care to explain.