Luke followed a narrow trail that cut deep through the dense forest of this new section of the Wild Zone. The capital was still far off—its presence lingering beyond the horizon—but the quiet, steady march served as a rare opportunity for reflection. Now, with Artemis chattering in his ear, he found himself seeing recent events from a different perspective.

Ever since leaving the fortress and crossing the barrier, his thoughts kept circling back. To the choices he'd made. The names he'd lost. The roads he'd taken. And the questions that still had no answer.

He had asked many times: Who was Samael? Why did this so-called inventor want to meet him? What did he expect from Luke?

But Artemis never gave a straight answer. Sometimes she changed the subject. Sometimes she said she wasn't allowed. And sometimes she just sighed. Eventually, he stopped pressing. All he had—all he truly knew—was that somewhere deep in the heart of the capital, Samael was waiting for him.

As he walked beneath the thick canopy, beams of filtered sunlight trickled through the leaves, casting fluid, ever-shifting patterns along the forest floor. It was the kind of atmosphere that made it easy to get lost in thought.

He repeated Angelica's words in his mind—his only clue about the third mechanism:

"Beyond the great barrier. Near the end. Guarded by a serpent. In the heart of the kingdom."

Vague. Poetic. But it was all he had.

Those words shaped his path.

Luke had learned something important: Artemis was a talker. An unstoppable, relentless talker. Ever since they'd crossed through the gate, she'd barely shut up. And while he didn't exactly blame her—after all, she'd been trapped inside a necklace in silence for months—most of what she said revolved around food, made-up personal drama, or wildly random questions about Earth life.

Sighing, Luke opened his system screen.

Name: Luke Level: 15 Rank: F Class: [Demonic Assassin (Lvl 28)] Race: Half-Demon Profession: – Titles: [Dark Lord] Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon] Health Points (HP): 1270/1270 Mana Points (MP): 821/920 Stamina: 362/630 Soul Fragments: 62/1000

Stats: Strength: 144 Agility: 135 (185) Endurance: 43 (63) Vitality: 127 Perception: 146 (156) Intelligence: 87 (92) Free Points: 1

Class Skills: [Basic Blade Handling (Common)], [Profane Knife Throwing (Uncommon)], [Twin Blade (Common)], [Basic Dark Dash (Rare)], [Basic Blood Regeneration (Rare)], [Assassin's Mark (Rare)], [Demonic Blade Dance (Rare)], [Wraith Form (Ultra-Rare)], [Force Infusion (Rare)]

Race Skills: [Identify (Common)], [Demonic Perception (Uncommon)], [Dark Blood (Uncommon)], [Meditation (Common)], [Demonic Endurance (Uncommon)]

Bloodline Skill: [Servant of the Dark Lord (Unique)]

Servants: [Princess Charlie (Skeleton) - Lvl 14], [Servant Slot Available]

Closing the system screen, Luke focused on the path ahead.

"By the way..." Artemis started, her tone as casual as ever. "I'm fully on board with Team Luke and Princess Charlie. I know there's a bit of unresolved sexual tension with Allison, but my favorite ship is still Luke and Charlie."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Luke snapped, shaking the necklace in annoyance. Beside him, Charlie looked... mildly pleased.

"Hey! Don't shake me like that. It's not my fault you two have chemistry. I'm just sharing my honest opinion as a viewer, alright?"

"Don't say ridiculous things."

Artemis gave a theatrical cough. "It's not like I had anything better to do. Watching you two was my only entertainment. And, honestly? You're incredibly dense, you know that?"

"Dense? I have no idea what you're talking about."

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"You need to own your feelings. Come on, tell Charlie you love her."

"WHAT?!" Luke spun toward the skeleton in disbelief. Charlie quickly looked away, visibly flustered.

"Stop making up that crap! Are you mentally defective?"

"I was just trying to toss a little kindling on the love fire. Quit shaking me and I'll stop. Promise!"

"Fine. Just... don't say stuff like that again."

"Alright, alright..."

Choosing to ignore the deranged ramblings of his sentient necklace, Luke picked up his pace and focused on the trail ahead. He funneled stamina into his legs, letting his movements grow more fluid. The terrain had changed. When he first crossed the gate, it felt like he stood atop a hill—with a clear view of the distant capital. But now, buried in thick forest, visibility was poor. It struck him as strange.

Back on that ridge, the capital had seemed closer. Almost within reach. But now, as he moved deeper, it felt farther away. Luke suspected magic. Something designed to show the traveler a glimpse of the capital—just enough to lure them in.

Leaping from branch to branch, he noticed something else: no immediate threats. It was unnerving in its own way.

"This Samael... is he one of the investors of the tutorial?" he asked while running.

"Hmm... he's technically in the investor category," Artemis said, weighing her words carefully. "But that doesn't mean he invested directly into this tutorial."

Luke let out a sigh. "I'm going to need at least some answers. I can't just go marching toward someone I don't even know is hostile."

"You don't trust me?" she replied in mock offense. "I thought we were soul sisters. Bonded for life."

"Just tell me this. If Samael turns out to be an enemy... can I beat him?"

Artemis burst into laughter. "Hahahaha—!"

Luke waited silently, unamused, until she calmed down.

"So, he's extremely powerful. Thanks for the confirmation," he said evenly.

"Wait—hold on! Did you just trick me into answering?!"

He didn't reply. His mind was already turning.

An investor in the tutorial. A being powerful enough to create a soulbound item and embed a personal quest directly into the system... It didn't take long for Luke to reach a conclusion.

Samael had to be part of some hidden order or cult connected to the World Government. The presence of names like Erza Grimhart and Allison Rhiannon in this world—combined with the fact that this tutorial was clearly anything but ordinary—made one thing clear.

None of this was random. Something was happening behind the curtain.

He pushed the thoughts aside. Even if some of his suspicions were right, none of it mattered as much as the goal directly in front of him—finding information. Any clue, no matter how small, could be the key to escaping that world.

Luke stopped at the top of a thick tree, his eyes locked on the horizon. There it was—like a scar across the sky—the city. And above it all, the castle. Towering. Massive. Almost mythical in its presence. He knew, with silent certainty: the way out was somewhere in there. But the mechanisms still had to be activated.

Did the others get the notification when I opened the gate? Maybe. Maybe it gave them hope. Or maybe it just made the target on his back even bigger. Not that he cared.

He scanned the city from a distance, eyes narrowed, studying its highest, most distinct points—searching for anything that might mark the third fortress. A signal. A trace. A single detail out of place.

"In the heart of the kingdom…" he murmured. But the entire city—with its wide streets, shattered walls, and crumbling towers—could be considered the heart. The phrase was vague. Poetic. And that made things harder.

"Well… I just need to find a giant serpent. If I see one, I'll know I'm close to the third mechanism."

Without hesitation, he jumped from the tree. In the air, his cloak unfurled, catching the wind and gliding him smoothly toward the ground. He landed in a crouch, then launched forward again into a run. The trees were thinning out now, and the city walls didn't seem so far away.

"Focus on finding Samael first," Artemis chimed in, her voice casual as ever. "By the way… can I eat that cheese in the necklace?"

"You can. Just don't overdo it. That's for emergencies."

He slipped down a steep incline, loose dirt crumbling beneath his boots. He managed to steady himself before tumbling and broke into a faster sprint. There was still light left in the day. He wanted to reach the city before it faded.

The forest grew thinner. Up ahead, something blocked the trail—a massive, dark, uneven stone. A natural obstacle. Luke didn't slow down. He surged forward, jumped, and climbed it with ease.

From the top, the capital sprawled out beneath him—ruins stretching for miles. Some structures still stood proud amidst the decay. The scenery was one of destruction… but also of promise.

"Keep heading that way," said Artemis. "With luck, we'll reach Samael before nightfall."

"Finding Samael matters," Luke replied, eyes fixed on the city, "but it's not my priority. The giant serpent is the clue to the mechanism. She's my point of reference."

That was when the rock beneath his feet trembled.

He nearly lost his balance.

"What the… an earthquake?"

But the ground around him wasn't moving. Nothing else vibrated. Only the stone. His gaze dropped, muscles coiled with tension. The "rock" stretched longer than he'd realized—unnaturally long. For a moment, it looked almost like the buried frame of a derailed train car.

Then it began to crack.

Thin fissures spiderwebbed across the surface like glass under pressure. Chunks of stone peeled away, revealing a layer beneath—dark, metallic scales. Then the eyes opened. Golden. Slitted pupils. Locked directly on him.

"Oh, shit—"

A notification flashed across his vision:

[Frankzaroth, the Great Serpent (Beast Lord) – Lvl 83]

He didn't need further confirmation. There, right in front of him, was the guardian of the third mechanism. And he was the Beast Lord himself.

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