The setting sun bathed the now-occupied city of Rucaria in golden light, its ruins cast in shadow and despair. The battle had ended swiftly after the hero's death; the Matras were unstoppable, and even the mighty Archmages stood no chance against Xenon.

From afar, Saiba watched it all, the grave of the once-legendary hero behind him. He had laid the hero to rest on the same hillside beneath a towering oak tree.

"Is this sight supposed to make me feel something, Kuda?" Muttered Saiba, "that place never showed me any kindness or empathy."

With an open palm, Saiba stretched his right arm forward, blotting the city from his view.

"I say this fate is well-deserved," Saiba closed his hand into a fist, "and yet... I'm supposed to save it"?

"What a cruel joke."

Thunder crashed and rumbled across the night sky as heavy rain poured down, drenching the muddy terrain. A cart creaked along the sodden path, its wheels struggling through the muck. Inside, six passengers sat huddled together, three on each side. On the left sat Saiba, arms crossed, his gaze locked on the middle-aged man facing him.

"Uhm.. is something wrong, young man?" Asked the man.

Saiba remained silent, his gaze fixed in the same direction, making the man feel uneasy and prompting him to shy away from making eye contact.

In Saiba's point of view however, it turned out he was looking at a system window in front of him, trying to understand what he was seeing.

Is this supposed to be a map? He asked himself.

The window displayed a detailed map of the terrain, with an indicator that marked Saiba's current location. It appeared on its own as soon as the cart began moving.

That blue arrow's always centered no matter how much we move, is it the cart itself? I've never seen anything like it before, just what kind of magic is this?

"Inventory," he muttered.

It was a word he had heard many times before from Kuda. If this was truly the same magic he had, then the same commands would work.

"Excuse me?" Inquired the man, thinking Saiba was addressing him.

The man received no answer yet again, further increasing his confusion.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Another window materialized before Saiba, its title reading "Inventory" at the top, with a list of various items displayed below.

This is what Kuda used to summon items—he'd mutter "inventory" then name an object.

"So this is what you were looking at all the time," said Saiba.

"That's it, you're starting to piss me off, brat," the man declared, his expression sour.

"Guardian sword," muttered Saiba.

A massive greatsword appeared before him, its hilt made of dark steel with silver markings. The blade was a sleek, black piece of metal, sharp and wide, with a faint red glow running along its edge. It radiated a quiet, powerful presence.

The sword's sudden appearance sent the middle-aged man and the other passengers into a panic, their eyes wide with shock.

"This is... Kuda's sword," he exclaimed.

Suddenly, another window popped up, displaying a warning sign.

[Enemy tag detected]

Enemy tag? What's—

Before he could complete his thought, the cart passengers were jolted by a heavy impact, as though something had collided forcefully with the cart.

The passengers were shaken, a brief wave of panic washing over them before everything fell silent once more. Saiba, still gripping the Guardian Sword, lifted his head and met the terrified gaze of the man once again.

"Will you please put that thing away!" Yelled the man, "you're gonna kill somebody with it!"

"Yeah.. sorr—"

Another violent jolt struck the cart, this time far more forceful than the first, sending the entire cart flying before it crashed violently to the ground.

Under the heavy downpour, Saiba lay motionless for a few moments before slowly raising himself, grunting and wincing in pain. Not far from him, the cart was utterly destroyed, and beside it, the horse lay lifeless. Only a couple of passengers were passed out on the dirt path, the others were no where to be seen.

"What the hell just happened?" Saiba muttered to himself.

He looked around and realized they were in a vast grassland, with knee-high grass lining the path on both sides.

Hearing cries of pain and distress, Saiba spun around to identify their source.

"Oh no..." Saiba murmured.

The source of the sound was the middle-aged man who had been sitting in front of him. He lay on his back in a pool of blood, the Guardian Sword driven deep into his abdomen.

"Oh man... It really did kill somebody," he said as he approached the man, "uhm... I'm sorry, old man."

What did Kuda use to say to move the items back into the inventory?

"Return," Saiba commanded, causing the sword to dematerialize.

"Now then," he said, his expression turning serious, "what caused this mess?"

Through the darkness ahead of Saiba came the sounds of growling and roaring, and out of the shadows emerged a towering figure with scarlet-red skin. It stood on two thick legs, each ending in only two clawed toes, and its powerful arms bore long, pointed bones jutting sharply from the elbows like weapons.

Its head was bald, with jagged bone horns protruding from its forehead, and its glowing purple eyes burned with an unrelenting intensity. The creature had no lips, leaving its sharp teeth exposed in a permanent, menacing grimace. On its chest were slits resembling fish gills, which pulsed and glowed purple with every labored breath, casting an eerie light that flickered in time with its movements.

"A Matra..?" Saiba muttered, his tone dripping with disbelief. Then, with a faint smirk tugging at his lips, he added, "And here I thought it would be something serious."

With a swift motion, he unsheathed the Dagma Blades which radiated a brilliant cyan glow, then got into a fighting stance.

"Hello, captain," spoke the beast in a familiar voice.

"This voice... Xenon?!"

"In the spirit," replied the beast.

"I see you got new tricks."

"Indeed. I am growing stronger by the minute."

"Good for you, man. You'll need it when I come for you."

"And just why would you do that, captain? Is it revenge you're after?"

"That's one part of it."

"I know you, captain Saiba of Rucaria. You do not care for the safety of this city nor its citizens."

"Your point?"

"My fight is not with you. Just give me the system, and I will leave you be."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I am aware of the hero's last act of selflessness, I did not know it's possible, but he somehow transferred his power to you. Do the same for me, and I swear you'll keep your life."

Saiba began to chuckle softly at first, the sound low and mocking, before it quickly escalated into full-blown laughter.

"What's so funny?" Xenon asked, his voice as cold and emotionless as ever, his eyes locked on Saiba with an unreadable expression.

"It's just that you're boldly assuming you could kill me when all I see is yet another mindless Matra, I've killed hundreds of these things before. Having dear daddy holding his hand will make no difference."

"Such arrogance... You are nothing like the hero."

"No..." Saiba replied, his expression shifting abruptly into something serious, his eyes narrowing with a newfound intensity. "I am not."