A staring contest began between the two sides.

  One insisted on his innocence.

  The other, knowing exactly what he was capable of, found it hard to believe. There was a very good chance that one of the unknown individuals who had taken down an Apex Boss was sitting right in front of them.

  Their gazes locked.

  Neither blinked.

  Neither backed down.

  One side refused to admit the truth.

  The other refused to accept the lie.

  The silence stretched until—

  "And he looks at them, and they look at him, and he looks at them, and they look at—ah, crap."

  Talia launched herself at Kei, tackling him to the ground with frightening speed. Her hands clamped around his neck, tightening with increasing pressure.

  "You just revealed something important, and you’re out here singing R. Kelly? You stupid imbecile! I’m gonna strangle you to death!"

  "Help! She’s killing me!" Kei gasped, flailing as Talia shook him like a ragdoll.

  Meanwhile, Kai, Owen, and Reese—the supposed friends who should’ve been helping—looked the other way.

  "Nice weather, huh?" Kai said, pretending not to hear Kei’s strangled cries.

  "Yeah, birds chirping, trees swaying... really nice day for a picnic," Reese added, nodding sagely.

  "That staff he’s carving looks really good," Owen noted casually. "Like two branches twirling around each other."

  They steadfastly refused to involve themselves in whatever mess Kei had gotten himself into.

  Meanwhile, Talia’s grip tightened further, her voice rising to a frenzied scream.

  "IT’S A GOOD THING YOU HAVE A SECOND LIFE BECAUSE I’M GOING TO THROTTLE THE FIRST ONE OUT OF YOU!"

  Kei frantically waved his arms, tears welling up in his eyes.

  "This is the only one I have! Please don’t kill me!"

  The moment the words left his mouth, the entire group froze.

  A heavy silence followed.

  Owen was the first to break it.

  "You’re the guy who died in our first few seconds here."

  Talia paused mid-strangle, eyes wide in realization.

  Kei wheezed, finally catching a few precious breaths of air.

  Which turned out to be extremely useful—because a second later, she started choking him again.

  It took all three guys—Kai, Owen, and Reese—to pry Talia off Kei.

  And even then, it was a struggle.

  They weren’t just fighting her grip; she had surged her Mirage Force to its absolute limit, making her illusions sharper, more real—more deceptive—than the last time Kei had seen them.

  Before anyone could act, copies of herself and Kei appeared, throwing the entire scene into disarray.

  Reese, Kai, and Owen hesitated.

  Logic told them that the Kei and Talia they had just seen grappling had to be the real ones.

  Except… they weren’t.

  Kei himself was momentarily confused, trying to yell for them—

  Only for his copies to do the same.

  The area was filled with identical voices, identical movements. It was chaos.

  Kei had to quickly guide the three using wind currents, subtly pushing them toward the real Talia, allowing them to rip her off him before she crushed his windpipe for good.

  Coughing between words, Kei rubbed his sore throat. "Wow… you really improved your Force. Even I had a hard time finding the real us."

  Owen, using his Bastion Force, planted himself on top of Talia, keeping her firmly restrained as she thrashed beneath him.

  "Yeah, she just advanced to 2% Force progression—the first among us to do so."

  Kei raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed. "Not bad."

  Reese, arms crossed, hesitated before speaking. "I know it’s not really our place to ask, and don’t feel like you have to tell us if you don’t want to… but how did someone as strong as you die so quickly?"

  Talia still struggled beneath Owen, but even she paused slightly, waiting for an answer.

  Kei shrugged. "Not much of a thrilling story, to be honest. Just got my head bitten off by a Fangcub."

  Silence.

  They all stared at him.

  Blankly.

  "Wait… what?"

  Kei saw their faces, then sighed. "Yeah, when I first got here, I landed in a tree in the middle of the forest. Fell out, system announcements started playing, and a Fangcub found me."

  He gestured vaguely with his hands. "We fought, it took a couple bites out of me, I won—but then I passed out. When I woke up, I realized it had been protecting me from Hares."

  Noticing they were actually following along, he continued.

  "Then the system announced the free life thing, so I asked the cub to kill me so I could reset with a fully functioning body."

  He finished with a casual shrug. "And… that’s pretty much it."

  The stunned silence only deepened.

  "And also, before coming here, I wasn’t strong at all," Kei added, stretching his sore neck. "I couldn’t even do five push-ups if you put a gun to my head. But I used my points to get a better feel for my body and trained."

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  He leaned back, rubbing his chin as he recalled his first real battle. "Then I met Zeph. He ragdolled me around during our fight, but I learned martial arts from him in the middle of it. Wrestled wind and Aether out of his control, pelted him with pebbles, and somehow won."

  He sighed, shaking his head. "Truly a miracle even I don’t understand, but oh well."

  Talia, still pinned beneath Owen, groaned. "Zeph… the blue monkey, I’m guessing? And it’s still alive?"

  Kei grinned. "Basically."

  "You’re really an enigmatic fellow, aren’t you?" Kai mused, watching Kei with a mix of admiration and curiosity. "Got to admit, you’re one of the most impressive people I’ve met since coming here."

  Kei glanced up briefly. "Oh, thanks."

  He returned to carving his staff, barely reacting to the compliment before tilting his head slightly.

  "So, this Apex Boss you guys are hunting… why do you need my help? You know I’m not one for violence unless I need to be."

  Owen spoke up first. "It’s not like anyone’s forcing you or anything. The settlement just wants to take it down—probably to prove themselves, get stronger, and earn some rewards."

  "They’ve been in an uproar ever since two Apex Bosses were defeated," he added, shaking his head.

  Reese chimed in, his tone casual. "We just figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask since you’re so strong, but it’s fine—we should manage without your help."

  Talia sighed, shifting slightly under Owen’s weight. "It’s just… we need new equipment, and we don’t have enough money for anything decent. My daggers are worn out, too expensive to fix, and honestly, I’m starting to outgrow them."

  Plop.

  The group barely had time to process what had happened before piles of equipment and materials suddenly dropped onto the ground in front of them.

  Kei, still focused on carving his staff, didn’t even look up.

  "Feel free to take what’s helpful and sell what’s not."

  The others just stared at the pile.

  Then at Kei.

  Then back at the pile.

  Kai mimicked Kei’s earlier words in a mocking, exaggerated tone, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  "YoU kNoW i’M nOt OnE fOr ViOlEnCe UnLeSs I nEeD tO bE."

  Then he gestured wildly at the piles of equipment and materials on the ground.

  "What the hell is all of this!?"

  Kei shrugged lazily, still carving at his staff.

  "Meh, I trained and ate, really. Food’s gotta come from somewhere. And some creatures were way too insistent on trying to kill me, so they can’t say I didn’t warn them."

  Reese eyed the pile, then Kei.

  "So why don’t you use any of this stuff?"

  Talia, meanwhile, had completely tuned them out. Her eyes shined with greed as she eagerly shifted through the equipment, inspecting anything that caught her interest.

  "I know you like your comfort, so full armor is out, but these pads, gauntlets, and accessories are really good. Not to mention the weapons too."

  Kei rolled his shoulders, shifting the branch staff in his hands.

  "Honestly, I just like using this staff. And I’ve noticed the more I run my Aether through it, the better it becomes—kinda makes all these weapons redundant."

  Their gazes fell onto the staff, taking a closer look.

  A faint, natural glow radiated from the wood, subtle yet undeniably present.

  Their first thought?

  It had to be a high-quality weapon—something Kei must have received from a dungeon, a quest, or even from defeating an Apex Boss.

  Owen frowned, curiosity piqued.

  "What rank is that staff?"

  Kei hummed, tilting his head as if trying to recall something. Then, as if prompted by his thoughts, system text appeared before him.

  A small flicker of surprise crossed his face as he read it.

  [Windblade Staff]

  [Ranking: Bronze]

  [Crafted by Kei Yuichi, blessed with pristine-quality Aether.]

  A uniquely crafted staff, its design resembling two intertwining branches, seamlessly spiraling around each other. This natural formation creates open channels that allow wind to flow freely through its structure, enhancing its interaction with Breeze Force.

  When infused with Aether, the staff naturally captures and redirects air currents, enabling the wielder to unleash sharp wind blades, concentrated bursts of wind, or seamless momentum shifts in combat.

  Due to its organic nature and continued exposure to Aether, the staff seems to refine itself over time, growing stronger the more it is used.

  He stared at the ranking.

  Huh.

  That’s… new.

  "Says it's a Bronze rank," Kei muttered, his tone laced with confusion.

  Reese raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Must’ve defeated a really strong creature for that."

  "Nope, just got it from a tree." Kei admitted casually.

  As if to demonstrate, his Aether surged through the staff, wind coalescing along its twisting branches before forming a razor-sharp wind blade.

  "I’ve just been running my Aether through it to fight. Then you guys showed up and saw me chipping away at it. Kept refining the shape, and now, all of a sudden, it says Bronze rank."

  Their genuine reaction?

  "Oh."

  And that was that.

  Reese scratched his head. "What does it mean by ‘pristine-quality Aether’ though?"

  Kei shrugged, already feeling sleepy. "I don’t know. I just want to nap."

  "So, that staff the only weapon you have?" Reese pressed.

  Kei yawned, lazily pointing toward his hair.

  "Oh, I have these Windpiercer Needles too. System says they’re a ‘Unique Craft.’"

  The group followed his gesture, eyes landing on several thin metallic needles, discreetly woven into his bun—blending seamlessly with his hair.

  "I got these from a quest—completed it perfectly." Kei grinned, holding up the Windpiercer Needles.

  Kai leaned in, eyes narrowing slightly in admiration. "I’m gonna guess… you throw those too?"

  "Yeah! And they return too—it’s so cool!" Kei’s eyes gleamed with excitement, like a kid showing off his new Christmas toys.

  For a brief moment—even Talia paused her rummaging to take in the scene. Despite all his weirdness, Kei had an innocence to him that was oddly endearing.

  Of course, that moment lasted about half a second.

  "Ooooh, these boots are cute! And the stats are great! It’s even Common rank!" Talia cheered, immediately resuming her search through the pile.

  But before anyone could continue their casual conversation, an obnoxious voice rang through the air.

  "That’s some nice equipment there. Thank you for your gracious donation to us."

  A small group of arrogant-looking individuals stepped forward, greed dripping from their expressions. They didn’t even bother hiding their intentions.

  Owen groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Ugh, you idiots."

  Kai and Reese, on the other hand?

  They wisely stayed quiet.

  Ready to be entertained.

  Talia didn’t even spare the newcomers a glance.

  The same grating voice continued.

  "What? Just because you guys improved a little, you think you’re too good for us? Heh, you’re still just tr—"

  "Damn, you’re ugly." Kei cut in, his tone genuinely disgusted.

  The guy stumbled over his words.

  Kei didn’t stop. "You really walk around in broad daylight with a face looking like that?"

  The group stood there, caught off guard.

  "Looks like you got shitted out instead of being given birth to."

  Kai choked. Reese turned away, shoulders shaking.

  "I don’t know what sins your parents committed, but you’re clearly God’s way of punishing them—forcing them to wake up every day and see that grotesque smile." Kei clicked his tongue. "Damn… that’s mean, even for me."

  The newcomers stood frozen, unable to process the verbal devastation unfolding before them.

  Kei sighed, shaking his head. "Hey, fix your face, seriously. If you keep looking at me like that, I might actually throw up."

  He squinted. "Matter of fact… nah, no fixing that. You need a whole refund on your genetics, my guy."

  Reese snorted loudly, unable to hold back his laughter anymore.

  Kai finally spoke, wiping a tear from his eye. "Bro, that was brutal."

  Kei shrugged. "I call it how I see it."

  The guy who had spoken first stood frozen, his entire existence seemingly shattered by the barrage of insults that had targeted every insecurity he had ever tried to suppress.

  He opened his mouth once—then closed it. No words came out.

  Instead, another of the idiots stepped forward, trying to salvage the situation.

  "How dare you insult us—"

  And then, the world froze.

  Even Talia, Owen, Kai, and Reese—who had been more than entertained just moments ago—didn’t know what to make of what they had just witnessed.

  Because the second guy was now clutching his eye, screaming.

  "GAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

  Sticking directly out of his eye was a Windpiercer Needle.

  A needle that Kei had casually stabbed into his face mid-sentence.

  Kei tilted his head, watching the guy writhe in agony.

  "Huh. You actually felt that? I thought I coated it with paralyzing poison." His voice was filled with genuine confusion.

  Then, he paused.

  His fingers twitched slightly.

  Oh.

  His hand was starting to go numb.

  Kei let out a small chuckle. "Hehe, silly me. I used the wrong end."

  The others just stared.

  Talia's brain short-circuited. "What the…?"

  Owen blinked slowly. Reese and Kai? No words. Just silence.

  Kei, meanwhile, wasn’t even remotely concerned.

  "What? You guys never wondered what would happen if you paralyzed someone's eye before?"

  His tone was scientifically curious, completely ignoring the guy still screaming in the background.

  The guy finally collapsed, hyperventilating as his body shook violently.

  Kei sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Man, you're noisy."

  With that, he casually retrieved the needle from the guy’s eye.

  The injured man barely had a moment to process the relief of the needle no longer being lodged in his socket—

  Because before he could even finish exhaling, Kei ran the needle through his hair again, passing it through a hidden groove in the bun he had crafted specifically to soak his needles in different poisons.

  This time, he made sure it was coated in a neurotoxin.

  Satisfied, Kei ran the needle straight into the guy’s throat.

  His eyes widened in pure terror, unable to react in time as the Windpiercer Needle sank deep.

  Kei, on the other hand?

  He was absolutely fascinated.

  "Ooooh, now this one I really wanna see."

  The guy, unfortunately, did not share his excitement.