Chapter 1

Episode 1. The Crazy One in This City is Me

Lawless City Ruquer.

The place where I was born has an extreme environment. Entering is free, but leaving is impossible. The air here is thin, and the gravity is twice as strong as outside.

What kind of people would voluntarily come to such a hellish city?

The most heinous criminals who face at least the death penalty if caught, psychopaths exiled from society, and even voluntary cannibals.

Of course, it’s not that there are no normal people at all. Debtors fleeing creditors, those entangled in grudges and running away, and those with unstable minds.

These are the people who fall into the category of “normal” here, in Ruquer. This is the place where I was born.

Just as someone born in the sea would naturally have fins and gills, or someone born on a cliff would have wings! To survive in Ruquer, where crazies run rampant, I adapted.

To deal with the crazies, I became a crazy one myself, choosing to be a hunter rather than prey.

Some say to me, “Keter, you were always a crazy one, blaming it on the environment…”

Maybe?

Because I really enjoy this life now.

When I was young, I was weak and incompetent, so I often got beaten or scammed. But now, it’s the opposite. I’m the one doing the beating.

However, I don’t scam. I just run a legitimate business.

Unlike the people of Ruquer who solve everything with violence, I have a legitimate job as a “Solver.”

Using rational logic and just a bit of violence, I cleanly solve problems.

In short, I live comfortably in this lawless city, and there aren’t many who can rival me.

But there’s one thing I regret.

“I want to see the outside world.”

No matter how well I live here or how strong I am, it’s still Ruquer. Sure, it’s a huge city, but after living here for 18 years, it feels small now.

But I can’t leave.

Ruquer’s history spans hundreds of years. And in all that time, there’s no record of anyone ever leaving. I also tried to leave but failed completely.

Ruquer is surrounded by a gray fog, which acts as the city’s walls.

When entering from the outside, it’s just fog, but when trying to leave, it makes you circle back to where you started. Whether you’re a Swordmaster or a Great Sorcerer, no amount of crazy tricks will help.

I was living half-resigned to this fate. Until one day, someone from the outside world came looking for me.

* * *

Ruquer is a completely isolated world. So when an outsider enters, no matter how well they hide, it’s obvious.

Keter intuitively noticed the newcomer. It wasn’t the first time, and he had witnessed it hundreds of times, so he shouldn’t have been particularly moved. But Keter found the newcomer interesting.

‘A man in his mid-twenties. Healthy and well-trained. Judging by his restrained gait, he’s a knight.’

Even with a bulky cloak, Keter could roughly sketch out the newcomer’s information.

‘Interesting. He didn’t come here running away. He has a purpose for coming here.’

What’s so special about visiting a city with a purpose? But this is Ruquer.

A mission with no return.

A knight performing it.

It was a combination that couldn’t be uninteresting.

Keter followed the knight and observed. Asking directly wouldn’t get him an answer.

Moreover, there was no need to intervene. The patience of Ruquer’s people isn’t as deep as Keter’s.

“Kekeke.”

“Gahaha.”

Before the knight could take a few steps, he was surrounded by the people of Ruquer. All armed, there was no room for misunderstanding their intentions.

The knight seemed to sense the situation and immediately drew his sword.

Whoosh!

A blue aura surged from his blade.

An absolute power that could inflict fatal wounds with just a graze, something third-rate thugs couldn’t even dream of. It was the Aura Blade, capable of cutting steel like paper.

A power only a select few in the outside world could possess. Even the most wretched thugs should fear it.

But the people of Ruquer didn’t back down.

They didn’t need to.

Because using aura is basic knowledge in Ruquer.

Whoosh!

Aura surged from the weapons of Ruquer’s people.

Having survived in such a harsh environment, the people of Ruquer could naturally use aura without being taught.

Unlike the knight’s clean aura, theirs surged like boiling water, making it look even more menacing.

The knight, not expecting every single person in Ruquer to know how to use aura, quickly turned pale.

The people of Ruquer slowly pressed the knight, as if playing with him. Then, the knight spoke with a calm expression.

“Before we fight, I want to ask you something.”

It was the voice of someone prepared for death.

But it wasn’t enough to stop the people of Ruquer, and the knight didn’t seem to expect an answer as he continued.

“Keter. How can I meet him?”

At that moment, the people of Ruquer stopped. Slowly, their faces twisted in frustration.

“Damn it… Keter’s pranks again?”

“No wonder a fresh newcomer came in on his own. That’s impossible!”

“Damn Keter! You think I’ll fall for it again? Not a fourth time!”

The people of Ruquer, who had been laughing eerily just moments ago, were now cursing incomprehensibly.

In the sudden change of situation, the knight stared blankly at the retreating backs of Ruquer’s people and shouted.

“Wait! I’ll reward you if you tell me where Keter is!”

But all he got in return were curses.

“Ask your mom!”

Left alone, the knight didn’t give up and continued to inquire.

Keter felt a mix of emotions.

How does a knight from the outside world know about me?

That’s an impossible question.

It’s impossible for someone from the outside to know about me, born in Ruquer. Because leaving here is impossible.

But the impossible has happened.

And more importantly—

Why is he looking for me?

What does he have to tell me, even risking living here forever?

I was dying of curiosity, but my patience, being the strongest in Ruquer, allowed me to hold out. It might be a trap.

Only at the very last moment would I lose a mere instant of time.

So Keter watched the knight until darkness fell.

“Ugh…”

In the middle of the night, the knight clutched his stomach and collapsed. While looking for a place to sleep, he was ambushed.

“Hehe, everyone else is too scared of Keter to touch you, but I’m different.”

The one who stabbed the knight was a boyish-looking youth. Known as Black Shadow, this boy is a top-tier assassin, with over a hundred kills to his name.

As Black Shadow was about to finish off the knight, the knight closed his eyes tightly and muttered.

“Forgive me, Lord. I failed my mission. Do not forgive me.”

Thud!

A head was smashed.

Not the knight’s, but Black Shadow’s.

In the darkness, purple pupils glowed. Keter, cloaked in shadows, muttered towards Black Shadow’s corpse.

“Thanks for underestimating me.”

Thanks to Black Shadow, Keter was certain.

The unconscious knight before him wasn’t a trap. He was truly a knight from the outside world who had come looking for him.

The long-awaited time to solve the mystery had come.

* * *

Keter’s Solver Office.

The knight lying on the sofa slowly opened his eyes.

“Ugh…?”

Keter, sitting beside him, urged in a nonchalant voice.

“If you’re awake, get up.”

“Huh!?”

The knight looked around like a startled cat, then stared intently at Keter.

He had the face of a young man in his early twenties.

But his golden eyes, refined by the sun, had an unfathomable depth, with a hint of madness.

Short silver hair and a clean forehead. His sharp eyes made his golden pupils stand out even more.

“Where am I, and who are you?”

“I’ll ask the questions. Who are you, and where are you from?”

The knight looked down at his abdomen. Seeing his wound neatly stitched, he relaxed slightly and said.

“I sincerely thank you for saving and treating me, but all I can tell you is my name, Oren.”

As Keter expected, the knight was very firm. But there was no way to break through.

“Weren’t you looking for Keter?”

“You know him?! Please, let me meet him.”

As soon as Keter hinted that he knew Keter, Oren immediately changed his attitude and pleaded.

Keter suppressed a laugh and spoke with a solemn expression.

“Tell me why you’re looking for Keter, and I’ll let you meet him.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell anyone but him.”

Keter, clearly sensing Oren’s determination not to answer even under torture, decided to stop joking.

“Alright, tell me now.”

“So, only to Keter…”

“It’s me.”

“Huh?”

“I’m Keter.”

“……”

Oren fell silent. His expression changed in real-time—shock, doubt, then calmness.

Meanwhile, Keter grew even more curious.

Even though he showed his face from the start, Oren didn’t recognize him.

That means he came looking for me based solely on the name. How did he plan to identify Keter if someone else claimed to be him?

“Could you turn off the lights here for a moment?”

The office had no windows but was as bright as day thanks to something called a sunstone.

It wasn’t hard. Keter covered the sunstone lamp, and the office was instantly plunged into darkness.

In the darkness, Oren immediately spoke in a trembling voice.

“Could you turn the lights back on?”

“Sure.”

As soon as the lights were back on, Oren spoke solemnly.

“I greet Young Master Keter.”

“Huh?”

Keter was surprised. Being called “Young Master,” and Oren’s certainty.

Oren quickly explained.

“Purple glowing eyes in the darkness. Only the bloodline of Sephira in this world can have such eyes.”

The former was something Keter already knew. But the latter was something he had never even dreamed of.

“Do you know about the House of Sephira, Young Master?”

“The famous archery family, Sephira. Right?”

Sephira was a special family. One of the seven noble families supporting the Lilian Kingdom, to which Ruquer belongs. The only family known for their archery.

Keter had a mountain of questions for Oren. But fundamentally, he wanted to ask one thing.

“Assuming I’m of Sephira’s bloodline, and you’re a knight of Sephira. Why did you come looking for me?”

This was the most important.

After risking his life to find Keter, what does he plan to do? I can’t leave Ruquer.

Oren made a meaningful expression and said.

“You’re talking about how once you enter Ruquer, you can’t leave, right?”

“Yeah. All you can do is deliver a message to me.”

“No. I came to take Young Master Keter with me.”

“…What?”

Having been born in Ruquer and lived here for 18 years, Keter knew better than anyone that escaping was impossible. Oren’s words sounded absurd.

Seeing Keter’s disbelief, Oren firmly conveyed his resolve.

“Come with me and leave Ruquer, to Sephira.”