Chapter 5: Find the Warrior
==[Find the Hero!]==
[Objective] – Locate the warrior
[Reward] – ???
[Failure] – The End of the Continent
Translucent text filled my field of vision.
Thanks to my previous experience receiving a quest, I understood it quickly.
And while the penalty—the end of the continent—was massive, it didn’t exactly surprise me.
It was to be expected.
“I ran away around 15 years ago…”
Which meant I had traveled back 15 years in time.
Roughly ten years from now, the Emperor would begin his rise in earnest.
Then, within a year, every kingdom and city on the continent would be erased from the map.
Only one person could stop that Emperor.
Ian.
Only Ian had the power to stand against the Emperor.
Without Ian, the continent had no future.
I had to find him.
This was a quest deserving of the title [Main Quest].
“But… this is it?”
The details were painfully sparse.
No specific instructions, no direction—just “Find the Hero.”
Not even a single hint on where Ian might be.
No trail, no clue.
“Quests just… give a direction, huh?”
Looking back at the [Tutorial Quest], that seemed to be the case.
It only set the goal: survive the Ice Troll.
Whether you fought the Ice Troll,
or ran away to survive—
the how was entirely up to you.
How you reached your objective was entirely your responsibility.
And so was the outcome.
Still, the goal was clear.
“I have to find Ian.”
Together, Ian and I had to stop the Emperor.
I had to find Ian before the Emperor fully moved into action.
That gave me about ten years.
Plenty of time—
but not so much that I could afford to relax.
Even now, in this past era, the Empire ruled supreme.
The Emperor, even at this point in time, was the strongest being alive.
But he hadn’t yet grown to dominate the continent, so he remained in the shadows.
Right now, he was likely laying the foundation for continental conquest.
Probably scheming something deep within the Imperial Palace.
I wasn’t in immediate danger—
but I didn’t have time to waste either.
I needed to find Ian as soon as possible.
Grow strong alongside him.
Gather power to stand against the Emperor.
The problem was… how to find Ian?
“…Hmm.”
I calmly organized my thoughts.
Given my current situation, I had two choices:
First, set out to find Ian right away.
If Ian’s ability was time regression like mine, then he too had returned to the past.
According to the quest, Ian was somewhere on the continent.
Search the vast continent for Ian, and gather the strength to oppose the Emperor.
That was one option.
“But the problem is, I have no idea where Ian is right now.”
Same went for Ian—he had no way of knowing where I was.
We never discussed details about what happened 15 years ago.
Still, Ian could probably guess.
He knew I was the eldest son of the White Wolf County.
If he had returned to the past like me,
then he would assume I might act differently than in our previous life.
Maybe… Ian was already heading for the White Wolf County.
What if I left to find him, and we crossed paths and missed each other?
“That would be a damn mess.”
So, my second option was to stay put in the White Wolf County and wait for Ian to come to me.
“Didn’t even consider that one before…”
Truthfully, I had no intention of returning to my family.
Back when I was a useless good-for-nothing, I did crave that kind of thing.
That was part of why I hated Seraphia so much for stealing everything from our house.
But now?
None of that mattered anymore.
The emotions once held by the Count’s delinquent heir had long faded after fighting through countless battlefields as a predator of the Allied Forces.
To me, my comrades from the Allied Forces meant more than any family members ever could.
That’s why it wasn’t Seraphia, the girl who took everything from our family, that I hated—
It was the “Lord of Frost,” the one who had slaughtered my comrades.
“Now that I think about it, I never killed the Lord of Frost.”
And that Lord of Frost—Seraphia—I hadn’t taken her down.
I couldn’t let her live.
Even if I set out now to find Ian, I had to kill Seraphia first.
Sister? Family?
None of that meant anything to me now.
She was simply one of the six “Lords”—the Emperor’s greatest forces.
Getting rid of her in advance was just tactical.
But when it came time to kill her…
Ian’s words lingered in my mind.
“…Damn it.”
That bastard Ian—why the hell did he say something so ridiculous?
“Just wait till I see him.”
I was going to give him a proper earful.
In any case, I couldn’t kill Seraphia right now.
Ian had said that letting her live was the one thing he regretted more than being rejected by the Saintess.
There must be a reason.
Until I knew what that reason was, Seraphia’s execution would have to wait.
“So, the decision’s made.”
Out of the two options, I was down to one.
“I’m going back to the family estate.”
If Ian came back in time like I did, he would come looking for me.
Instead of wandering aimlessly, waiting at the family estate was the smarter choice.
Not to mention—I still hadn’t decided what to do about Seraphia.
“Just until Ian arrives.”
I’d spare Seraphia until then.
“Let’s head back.”
With my thoughts now sorted, I turned to head home.
But—
“…Where was the estate again?”
I’d forgotten where it was.
Sure, I’d only run away less than a week ago in this timeline,
but in reality, it had been over 15 years.
I couldn’t remember where the estate was—
nor could I recall much about the people there.
Except one.
My sister and the future Lord of Frost, Seraphia.
And…
“Oh right. Kai. That crazy bastard’s still alive too.”
Since I’d gone back in time.
Meaning, besides Seraphia, there was one more person in the family I had to kill.
But… hmm.
“In my current state, I can’t beat that guy.”
Yeah—I didn’t stand a chance against Kai.
Seraphia hadn’t awakened as the Lord of Frost yet.
But Kai?
He was the White Wolf family’s top knight.
Even now, he was ridiculously strong.
“…Maybe I should devour a few more things before I go back.”
Truth be told, I couldn’t use [Devour] recklessly.
Take the Ice Troll’s Regeneration [C+]—
just eating one heart didn’t give me the full benefit.
Sometimes it took a few tries.
Sometimes hundreds.
I had to repeat the process,
and each time, I risked falling into madness.
That’s why, in my past life, I hadn’t absorbed many abilities.
But now—
“I’ve got the Player’s Will, don’t I?”
I had Ian’s ability—[Player’s Will: EX].
No matter how many times I used Devour, I wouldn’t fall to madness.
As long as I had enough prey, I could grow infinitely stronger.
And right now, before the Emperor fully emerged,
the wilds were still crawling with Ice Trolls and rare monsters.
Also…
“I never properly checked that Solo Level-Up ability, did I?”
Ian’s other ability—[Solo Level-Up: EX].
I still didn’t know what it actually did.
“If it’s like Player’s Will…”
Maybe the secret to Ian’s absurd strength…
was in [Solo Level-Up: EX].
Meanwhile—
In the middle of a vast snowy field stood a territory.
Behind the land, hills and mountain ranges covered in snow rose like white hats.
The walls of the fortress were thick and tall, designed to endure the bitter cold.
Ice and snow filled every crack.
At the center of the land stood a grand castle,
with small villages scattered around it—
snow-covered roofs and low wooden homes.
Despite the brutal cold, the land radiated a warm sense of life and determination.
“Hm.”
A man within that landscape gave a quiet hum.
Sharp facial features, a defined jawline,
and cold, deep-blue eyes like a wolf’s.
Golden hair, bright as sunlight, flowing down his back.
A body honed to perfection.
Silver armor tailored precisely to his form.
His atmosphere, like the winter itself, was ice-cold and hard to read.
He was like a noble wolf incarnate.
Kai—the White Wolf County’s chief knight.
Kai inspected the Ice Troll’s corpse that had been brought by soldiers.
The body was pristine—so much so it almost looked alive.
Which meant… not much effort had gone into killing it.
It was pierced through the heart.
The heart was missing,
but judging from the puncture site, it was a clean shot.
No defensive wounds.
That meant the killer had gone for a single, decisive strike.
But from the wound…
There wasn’t even any aura infused into the blow.
Just a pure stab.
To pull that off, you’d need god-tier reflexes.
You’d have to predict the troll’s movements perfectly,
slip inside its reach,
evade its attacks,
and match the timing exactly.
All of that, flawlessly executed.
And that level of perfection isn’t something you get from training alone.
Even battle-hardened mercenaries hesitate to make a move like that.
In short, no seasoned merc would have dared attempt it.
That stab was perfect.
Even a healthy troll wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Could I have blocked it?
Kai imagined the attacker, ran several combat scenarios in his head,
and came to a swift conclusion.
He wouldn’t have blocked it—he’d have dodged.
Blocking that kind of strike was foolishness.
Which is why…
It’s hard to believe that this was the work of the so-called “Mad Dog of the Count’s Family.”
After confirming the corpse, Kai slowly turned his head.
Seraphia—the lord he was sworn to protect with his life.
Kai examined the dark handprint on her long, pale neck closely.
Though she had tried to cover it with a scarf, the blackened bruise on her white skin was far from easy to conceal.
It was clear how forcefully she had been grabbed.
Kai could sense the murderous intent embedded in the mark.
He had meant to kill her.
Without a doubt.
Adrian had tried to kill Seraphia.
Which is why Kai had no choice but to ask:
“Why did you let him live?”
Why had Seraphia spared Adrian?
According to the soldiers, Seraphia had stopped them.
They claimed they had no choice but to release Adrian on her orders.
If Kai had been there, he would never have allowed it.
He wouldn’t have let the situation escalate to where Seraphia’s life was in danger—and Adrian would not have left that place alive.
Adrian… must die.
That is the only way—to protect not just Seraphia, but the Whitewolf family and the people of the entire county.
“Watch your words, Sir Kai.”
But Seraphia’s thoughts were completely different from Kai’s.
“No matter what anyone says, my brother is still the rightful heir of the Whitewolf family.”
She still called Adrian “brother.”
Though she tried to shield him as her only family, Kai would not do the same.
“At the same time, he is also someone who threatened your life. As your knight, I am simply fulfilling my duty.”
“All the more reason for you to watch what you say. The true lord is not me, but my brother.”
As expected.
Adrian should have been killed on the spot.
This only strengthened Kai’s resolve.
If that man dared return to reclaim his right as heir…
Just then—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The bell rang out from the tower that overlooked the surroundings from high above.
The soldiers on the castle walls began to move in perfect coordination—clearly, something had happened.
“A-A disaster! A disaster!!”
Sure enough, a soldier came running, breathless.
His face was filled with urgency.
“L-Lord Adrian has returned to the county!”
Kai’s deep blue eyes lit up with a murderous gleam.
