Chapter 41 — The Fourth Path

The forest had become unnaturally quiet.

Kael stood beside the ancient mountain, staring at the System window.

[Hidden Territory Function discovered.]

[Darven Fourth Path: Activated.]

[Bloodline Progress: 12% → 13%.]

[New Objective.]

[Restore the Ancient Guardian Network.]

[Progress: 1/4]

Kael read it twice.

Then a third time.

"The Fourth Path..."

His eyes moved toward the three guardians.

The Verdant Mountain Wyrm.

The Verdant Crystal Behemoth.

And the empty position where the first guardian had once stood.

The Verdant Fang Ravager.

Something suddenly clicked.

The guardians weren't the entire system.

They were only three parts of it.

And the Darven bloodline was the missing component.

Kael looked at his hand.

"Why would my bloodline be part of a monster territory's sealing network?"

The Wyrm answered.

"Because it was not created for monsters."

Kael turned toward it.

"What?"

The ancient guardian looked at the crimson markings across the mountain.

"The network was created by humans."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Darvens?"

"Not exactly."

That answer immediately caught his attention.

"Then who?"

The Wyrm was silent.

The Crystal Behemoth spoke instead.

"Those who carried the blood before your family."

Kael froze.

Again.

The same answer.

The same ancient history.

His family had inherited something they didn't fully understand.

And now he was standing in the place where that inheritance had originally been used.

The Fourth Path

Kael walked toward the mountain.

The crimson lines reacted to his presence.

They brightened.

Then—

a small section of the ancient metal network rose from the ground.

A circular platform appeared.

At its center was a handprint.

Kael stared at it.

"That's convenient."

Nightfang growled.

Kael ignored him.

He already knew what the structure wanted.

He placed his palm against it.

The moment his skin touched the ancient metal—

VMMMMM.

A wave of crimson energy spread outward.

The entire mountain illuminated.

The Wyrm immediately lowered its head.

The Behemoth's crystals began absorbing the excess energy.

Kael felt something enter his body.

Not mana.

Something older.

His vision blurred.

Then—

he saw a battlefield.

Thousands of years ago.

The Verdant Territory was different.

The mountain was intact.

The forest was much larger.

Three enormous creatures stood around the mountain.

The Shadow Lion.

The Verdant Serpent.

The Bone Sovereign.

But they weren't attacking.

They were chained.

Not physically.

Their power was bound by enormous structures buried beneath the earth.

And standing between them—

were humans.

Not an army.

Only four.

One stood before the mountain.

Another stood beside the serpent.

A third stood near the skeletal beast.

And the fourth—

stood before the Shadow Lion.

Their weapons were strange.

Metallic.

Advanced.

Yet unmistakably related to the weapons Kael had inherited.

Then the vision changed.

One of the four humans placed his hand against the ground.

A crimson network spread across the territory.

The three beasts roared.

The network activated.

And the mountain became the center of the seal.

Kael suddenly understood.

The guardians hadn't created the seal.

They had been incorporated into it.

The vision shifted again.

The four humans stood together.

One of them said something.

Kael couldn't hear the words.

The memory was damaged.

But he could understand one sentence.

"If one guardian falls, the Darven must replace the missing link."

The vision shattered.

Kael stumbled backward.

Nightfang immediately moved beside him.

"What did you see?"

Kael breathed heavily.

"The network."

He looked toward the mountain.

"It was built by humans."

The Wyrm's eyes narrowed.

"Continue."

"There were four people."

Kael looked at his hand.

"And one of them carried the Darven bloodline."

The Missing Link

The System appeared.

[Memory fragment partially recovered.]

[Ancient Territory Seal identified.]

[Original Structure: Fourfold Guardian Network.]

[Guardian Components: 3.]

[Bloodline Component: 1.]

[Current Network Status: Incomplete.]

[Missing Guardian Component detected.]

[Darven Path compatibility: 87%.]

Kael stared at the final number.

"Eighty-seven percent?"

The System continued.

[Warning.]

[Compatibility does not indicate mastery.]

Kael almost laughed.

"Of course."

Having the bloodline didn't mean he automatically knew how to use it.

That lesson had followed him since the beginning.

His Metal Control had started at an absurd level compared with his physical strength.

His inheritance was powerful.

His understanding wasn't.

Kael looked toward the mountain.

"So I need to become the fourth component."

The Wyrm shook its head.

"No."

Kael looked at it.

"You misunderstand."

The ancient guardian stared directly at him.

"You are not replacing the missing guardian."

Kael frowned.

"Then what am I doing?"

"You are restoring what was removed."

The First Guardian's Secret

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"What was removed?"

The Wyrm looked toward the eastern forest.

"The first guardian."

Kael's expression changed.

"The Ravager?"

"No."

The Wyrm's voice became heavier.

"The one before it."

Kael went silent.

There had been another guardian.

Before the Verdant Fang Ravager.

And something had happened to it.

"What happened?"

"We don't know."

The Behemoth spoke.

"It disappeared."

"When?"

"Long before your family."

Kael thought carefully.

"Was it killed?"

"No."

"Then where did it go?"

The Behemoth's crystals dimmed.

"We don't know."

Kael immediately noticed something.

The three guardians weren't omniscient.

They had existed for thousands of years, but even they didn't know the full history of the network.

Which meant there were gaps.

Someone had deliberately hidden them.

Or—

something had erased them.

Kael looked toward the ancient mountain.

"Could the missing guardian still be alive?"

The Wyrm didn't answer.

That was answer enough.

The Basilisk Arrives

A powerful roar suddenly shook the forest.

Kael turned.

The ground trembled.

Branches snapped.

The Verdant Horned Basilisk emerged from between the trees.

Its massive body moved slowly.

Its horns were covered in green energy.

Its eyes immediately locked onto Kael.

Then—

it looked toward the mountain.

For several seconds, the Territory Lord remained completely still.

Then its expression changed.

Not anger.

Recognition.

It understood something.

Kael immediately raised the PR-01.

The Wyrm spoke.

"Do not attack."

Kael kept the rifle raised.

"Why?"

"Because it isn't here for you."

The Basilisk approached the ancient network.

Its claws touched the earth.

Green mana spread outward.

The surrounding vegetation responded.

Kael activated Metal Sense.

The territory network changed.

The Basilisk wasn't attacking.

It was connecting itself to the seal.

Kael's eyes widened.

"You maintain the outer territory."

The Basilisk looked toward him.

For the first time, Kael realized something important.

The Territory Lord wasn't merely controlling monsters.

It was also unknowingly maintaining part of the ancient system.

The Basilisk spoke.

"The network is damaged."

Kael nodded.

"I know."

Its eyes shifted toward him.

"You caused the disturbance."

Kael didn't deny it.

"I awakened the mountain."

The Basilisk's pupils narrowed.

Then it looked toward the Wyrm.

The Wyrm gave a slight nod.

The Basilisk turned back toward Kael.

"Then repair it."

Kael blinked.

"You're giving me an order?"

"No."

The Basilisk's voice was deep.

"I'm giving you a warning."

It turned toward the forest.

"The hunters have arrived."

Kael's expression hardened.

"What hunters?"

The Basilisk didn't answer.

A System notification appeared.

[Multiple hostile signatures detected.]

[Distance: 3.7 kilometers.]

[Number of targets: 12.]

[Average Level: 30–36.]

[Formation detected.]

[Coordination: High.]

[Origin: Unknown.]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Twelve enemies.

Level thirty to thirty-six.

Coordinated.

Not random monsters.

Hunters.

The First Invasion

The forest exploded.

Twelve figures emerged from the trees.

They weren't monsters.

They were humans.

All wore dark armor.

Their faces were hidden.

Each carried different equipment.

Swords.

Spears.

Magical bows.

Metal weapons.

One even carried a weapon that looked disturbingly similar to a Darven firearm.

Kael's expression changed.

"They're using guns."

The figure at the front stepped forward.

Level 36.

Grade Commander.

The System identified him.

[Unknown Human.]

[Level: 36.]

[Rank: C-Rank.]

[Equipment: Multiple.]

[Bloodline: Unknown.]

[Threat: High.]

The man looked directly at Kael.

Then at the mountain.

Then at the three guardians.

His voice was calm.

"Kael Darven."

Kael tightened his grip.

"You know my name."

"We've been searching for you."

"Why?"

The man raised his hand.

The other eleven spread out.

Not attacking.

Forming a perimeter.

Kael immediately understood.

"They aren't here to fight me."

The Wyrm's eyes narrowed.

"No."

The Crystal Behemoth's crystals brightened.

"They are here to prevent you from restoring the network."

The leader smiled.

"Correct."

Kael's expression hardened.

"Who sent you?"

The man didn't answer.

Instead, he looked at the ancient mountain.

"The seal must remain incomplete."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Because if you restore it..."

The man's voice became quieter.

"...the Darven will remember."

Kael froze.

Again.

The same phrase.

Remember.

Bloodline.

Ancient network.

First Darven.

Fifth Gate.

Something was deliberately preventing his bloodline from recovering its history.

Kael raised the PR-01.

"Then I suppose you're going to stop me."

The leader drew his sword.

"That is the plan."

The Wyrm stepped forward.

The ground shook.

The leader immediately took several steps back.

"Not you."

The Wyrm's eyes glowed.

The Behemoth moved beside it.

The Basilisk's territory spread across the forest.

For the first time—

all four powers stood together.

Basilisk.

Mountain Wyrm.

Crystal Behemoth.

And Kael.

The leader stared at them.

His expression finally changed.

"Impossible."

Kael smiled faintly.

"What?"

"You shouldn't have been able to unite them."

Kael's eyes sharpened.

"Neither should you have known that."

The man went silent.

Kael had found the weakness.

They knew too much.

Which meant—

someone had told them.

Someone who understood the ancient network.

Someone who knew the Darven bloodline.

Someone who knew Kael was approaching this mountain.

Kael slowly lowered the PR-01.

Not because he was surrendering.

Because he had changed his plan.

He looked at the ancient network.

Then at the twelve hunters.

Then at the three guardians.

A tactical idea formed.

He didn't need to defeat twelve enemies.

He only needed enough time.

Kael's Metal Control activated.

Every metal marker around the mountain rose into the air.

Hundreds of pieces.

The hunters looked upward.

Kael smiled.

"Let's see how well you understand the Darven."

The metal pieces suddenly scattered.

Not toward the hunters.

Across the entire battlefield.

The ancient network lit up.

[Darven Fourth Path activated.]

[Temporary synchronization established.]

[Territory Guardian Network: 2/4.]

Kael's eyes widened.

The System had counted the Basilisk.

Then the Wyrm.

Then the Behemoth.

And now—

his own bloodline.

Four components.

The complete network.

For the first time in thousands of years—

the ancient seal became whole.

The mountain roared.

The hunters staggered.

And deep beneath the earth—

the heartbeat stopped.

For three seconds—

there was absolute silence.

Then—

THUMP.

The entire mountain cracked.

The System appeared.

[WARNING.]

[Ancient Seal has entered a new state.]

[Integrity: 89%.]

[Containment: Reinforced.]

[Secondary consequence detected.]

[Something has noticed the restoration.]

Kael's smile disappeared.

The hunters suddenly looked terrified.

Their leader whispered:

"...It noticed."

Kael looked toward him.

"What noticed?"

The man stared at the mountain.

Then slowly removed his mask.

For the first time, Kael saw his face.

The man looked almost exactly like—

Kael.

Same dark hair.

Same crimson eyes.

Same sharp features.

But older.

Much older.

The man smiled.

"Hello, little brother."

Kael froze.

The ancient mountain began to shake again.