As he hobbled toward the cave's entrance, leaning heavily against the wall for support, Valeri felt the cold rain pour down, soaking through his clothes. The headache dulled under the weight of his hunger. *Did that strange man leave any food?* His stomach grumbled audibly, and all he could think about was how good a simple meal of fish would taste right now. Defeated by the pain and exhaustion, he limped back into the cave, determined to find rest. Each step seemed harder, the darkness inside the cave growing more oppressive, and with it, a new terror began to creep into his mind.

As Valeri ventured deeper, the cave seemed alive with a strange thumping, a rhythmic pounding that set his teeth on edge. He stopped, his breath hitching in his chest, as two enormous, glowing eyes stared back at him from the void. They were inhuman, monstrous in size and intent. Instinct screamed at him to run, but his body was too weak to obey.

The creature—a *Gorge Devourer*—slammed its massive body against what seemed to be an invisible wall, its frustration palpable. The impact shook the cave, reverberating through the walls, but Valeri realized it was being held back, restrained by something he couldn't see. As the beast howled in rage, the strange man who had saved him appeared, walking through the darkness. The man extended a hand, helping Valeri to his feet. The beast roared again, its cries filled with a mixture of hunger and fury, but all Valeri could hear was the numbing thud of the creature's body hitting the invisible barrier.

"The Gorge Devourer is trapped," the man said, his voice calm. "The wall is pure Ki. It nullifies its Aura."

Valeri's blood ran cold. *A Gorge Devourer.* He had read about them in *Mediator's Story*, but seeing one in person was something else entirely. The beast was terrifying, a nightmare made flesh. In the game, these creatures were massive predators that lived in gorges, their bodies covered in thousands of needle-like Ki spikes they used to siphon Aura from their surroundings. Cutting off their spikes was pointless, as they could regenerate almost instantly, and their hardened bodies made them nearly impervious to Mana-based attacks. Physical attacks, especially those infused with Ki, were the only way to harm them, but even then, defeating one was a challenge only the most powerful players could manage.

But this creature was different. In the game, the oldest recorded Gorge Devourer was barely a year old, and even that had required entire guilds to defeat, with many of them losing nearly 20% of their manpower in the process. But the beast before Valeri now was ancient by comparison—twenty-five years old, according to the man. Its age made it exponentially more dangerous. Gorge Devourers became more powerful as they grew older, their bodies absorbing and refining Aura to make themselves nearly invincible. The spikes covering its hulking, serpentine form seemed to pulse with an unnatural light, each one bristling with deadly intent.

Valeri watched as the creature slammed against the Ki wall again, its glowing eyes locked onto him. It was enormous, its muscular body akin to that of a titan centipede, but with jagged, bone-like spikes protruding from its back. Each of its limbs ended in sharp, claw-like appendages that scratched the ground, trying to find purchase. The creature's mouth opened wide, revealing rows of needle-like teeth that could crush bone with ease. Its long, segmented body wriggled and thrashed, reminiscent of an insect, but the sheer size and power of it made Valeri's blood freeze in his veins.

This was no ordinary monster. It was an apex predator, perfected by years of devouring Aura, its body hard as stone, its spikes like living blades. The way it moved reminded Valeri of a gigantic centipede mixed with a scorpion, its limbs twitching with eerie speed and precision. Every part of its body was a weapon, and the only thing keeping it from tearing Valeri apart was the Ki wall the strange man had erected.

The man turned to Valeri as he helped him sit in the corner of the cave. "You'll be safe here for now," he said, pulling a basket from the shadows. Inside, Valeri found food—bread, fish, and meat—along with a few clay bottles filled with water. Without a second thought, Valeri tore into the meal, hunger driving him to eat with reckless abandon. The food tasted like heaven after days of going without a proper meal, and as he ate, he felt his headache finally begin to subside. Exhaustion soon followed, and before he knew it, he had passed out.

Valeri stirred awake, the soft pattering of raindrops filling his ears. The smell of damp earth and singed wood greeted him as his eyes blinked open. He wasn't inside the cave anymore, but just outside the forest, the air still heavy with the aura of the battle he had witnessed. His body felt lighter, and the sharp aches in his right arm and ankle had dulled to a tolerable throb, though he noticed the scars that now marked his skin. The battle must have moved further into the cave, leaving him untouched.

*I'm alive,* he thought, rubbing his temples as his memory came back in flashes—the gargantuan Gorge Devourer, the strange man's relentless attacks, and the eerie silence that followed. The Ki wall… it wasn't going to hold the beast much longer. He had seen it, the cracks in the wall as the beast gathered more aura, the raw power it had accumulated overwhelming even the impenetrable barrier. He didn't kill the creature but crippled it enough that it no longer had the will to fight.

Valeri pushed himself up, his limbs stiff but functional. He scanned the area, half-expecting the beast to suddenly lunge out of the cave. But all was quiet now. Only the distant shrieks of the weakened Gorge Devourer could be heard echoing from the cave's depths. The eerie silence that followed the battle wasn't lost on him. Something about the way the man fought, his aura, his precision—it all felt deliberate. 

Valeri walked in, his steps slow but deliberate, his mind brimming with tension. His eyes never left the stranger. He could feel the weight of the truth pressing down on him. He wasn't just facing a man who had saved him—he was facing something far more dangerous.

"You're the reason the wolves attacked me," Valeri said, his voice steady but low. He wasn't asking; he already knew. The eerie aura, the unsettling bloodlust—it had all come from him.

The man didn't move, didn't react. He simply continued to drink, his gaze fixed on the ground, as though Valeri's words were nothing more than background noise. His indifference was unnerving, but Valeri wasn't going to stop now.

"You… your aura," Valeri continued, taking a step forward. "It was suffocating. It drove them mad. I could feel it… even now. It was you."

He still didn't respond, but Valeri pressed on, feeling his courage rise with each word. His voice grew firmer. "I know who you are."

The man paused for a second, glancing up at Valeri with a blank expression. There was no acknowledgment, no surprise—just that same unnerving calm. But Valeri wasn't backing down.

"You're Lucien Perceval Saint-Aurel," Valeri said, the name tasting foreign yet familiar on his tongue. He'd heard it before, whispers and rumors, stories told in hushed tones. "The Reaper. Lord of Carnage."

He almost hesitated saying the name out loud, knowing the weight it carried. His heartbeat quickened, but he steadied himself. "I've seen the pictures. I've heard the stories." His voice didn't falter, though fear crept at the edges of his resolve. "They say you're a ghost, that you disappear as soon as you appear… and that no one survives after meeting you."

Lucien simply set the bottle aside, his face unreadable. He didn't confirm, didn't deny just sat there, unmoved. Valeri swallowed hard. He was standing before a man known for carnage, and yet there he was, alive. Why?

Valeri's breath caught for a second, but then, with a wave of relief, the truth settled in. "We've been transported, haven't we?" His voice was calmer now, though laced with a strange sense of clarity. "This place... these beasts... it's not our world. I mean it lays obvious. But this isn't a game anymore. This isnt the game you made."

Lucien's gaze flickered to him, but still, no visible reaction. The silence hung between them for a moment longer before Lucien slowly rose to his feet. His movements were deliberate, casual, as though the weight of everything Valeri had just revealed didn't concern him in the slightest.

For a brief moment, Valeri wondered if Lucien would strike him down for knowing too much. But instead, Lucien stretched slightly, his posture still relaxed, and glanced toward the mouth of the cave.

"Good," he said finally, his voice as calm as ever. "You're catching on."

Valeri blinked, taken aback by the response. He had expected something… more. More anger, more intensity. But Lucien was as calm as ever, completely unfazed.

"You're going to need that," Lucien added as he walked toward the cave entrance, his back to Valeri. "Your training starts tomorrow."

Valeri blinked again, feeling a strange sense of disbelief. "Training?" he asked, his voice betraying the confusion he felt.

Lucien didn't turn around, didn't stop walking. "If you want to survive here," he said, his tone casual, almost bored, "We'll need food."

With that, he stepped out of the cave, the light from outside casting his figure in shadow. Valeri stood there, still trying to process what had just happened. Lucien wasn't angry. In fact, it seemed like he had expected Valeri to figure everything out. 

As he watched Lucien leave, Valeri realized something else he had no choice but to follow.He had been thrown into a world where creatures like the Gorge Devourer roamed, where survival was not guaranteed. And the man before him Lucien was his only chance at making it through.

Without another word, Valeri followed Lucien out of the cave, his mind now set on whatever came next.