shadow...
Night had fallen, and the evening lights illuminated the surroundings. Scott had finally arrived at the main district.
In front of him stood a massive crystal bridge, with a colossal railway track shaped like a shark running across it. If he crossed the high-speed railway tracks and passed through the canal beneath the bridge, he would find himself in the Strek District.
This area was on the outskirts, relatively barren, with few people coming and going.
---
As he walked, Scott couldn't help but let out a slow sigh, gazing up at the sky. It felt as if dozens of thoughts were flooding his mind.
"...I wonder if I'll be able to reach the required level within the given time. If I can't… everything will be over. No, I shouldn't be thinking so negatively."
Scott slapped his cheeks hard, trying to shake off his current thoughts.
---
His mind drifted back to Horyang's message when he left—his desire to become the greatest engineer ever.
That goal now seemed so far out of reach.
Who knew if he would even become an engineer at all, let alone the greatest engineer?
From the present era to ancient times, there had been countless skilled engineers who ruled the world with their ability to craft and repair artifacts.
Meanwhile, Scott… he might not even reach one percent of their proficiency.
---
As Scott was about to cross the canal, a sudden explosion erupted right by his ear.
All he could see was a blinding glow spreading everywhere.
A crystal train was passing over the bridge.
Suddenly, Scott froze in place and rubbed his eyes, staring at the bridge.
At the exact moment when the flash of light had burst forth—
He had seen a figure standing on top of the bridge!
---
The Sky Shark Iron Railway was one of the five colossal artifacts of the Republic, renowned as a technological marvel.
It could reach speeds exceeding 3,000 km/h.
Moreover, every part of the Sky Shark train's carriages was equipped with the finest magical defensive artifacts, designed to ward off spectral beasts.
Its high-speed impact was no less destructive than a high-rank mage going all out in an attack.
To prevent any unexpected incidents, the Sky Shark High-Speed Railway typically hovered dozens of meters above the ground, running on its designated track.
The railway line was completely enclosed, functioning as both a barrier and a restriction.
Which led to the real question—
---
"How did that man get inside?"
---
Scott had seen it clearly.
There was a shadowy figure standing on the railway track of the bridge.
The silhouette looked incredibly strange—its true form was indistinguishable.
It had no facial features, appeared thin, and had an old, faded appearance, as if it belonged in a museum—something Scott had once seen before.
Yet, despite its ghostly look, the shadow exuded an unbelievably heavy presence.
Even though dozens of meters separated them, Scott could feel his own heartbeat pounding violently.
---
Thump! Thump! Thump!
It was like a giant hammer pounding relentlessly on a metal plate!
The pressure emitted by the shadow was as vast as an ocean.
The gap between them was far greater than the gap between the sun and a firefly.
Yet Scott had a certain gut feeling—
Even though the waves of power from the old figure were unintentional,
What Scott sensed was just the very tip of something unfathomable.
---
"Hey?"
It was a dangerous moment.
Scott couldn't tell if this person was crazy or just eccentric.
The train was approaching at a terrifying speed.
Scott waved his arms and shouted loudly, his voice filled with urgency.
But the shadow seemed to completely ignore Scott's cries.
It continued staring at the expanding light ahead, as if lost in pure curiosity.
The shadowy figure appeared especially intrigued by the railway track on the bridge—
And the screaming Sky Shark Iron Train that was about to arrive.
The high-speed crystal train surged forward. With a "BOOM", like the cracking of an egg, the mysterious shadow was sent flying backward!
In an instant, it shattered into pieces!
Its limbs and bones crumbled under the immense flow of mana, completely obliterated down to the cellular level, vanishing from existence!
All Scott saw was a blinding white flash—
And the mysterious old man was gone.
---
Scott let out a helpless sigh from deep within his heart.
Growing up in the Ruins Graveyard, an environment filled with horrors and dangers, encountering corpses was nothing new to him.
Moreover, when it came to death, Scott was not like the average person who would react with terror or panic at such things.
Yet, in the end—
That was still a living being.
Watching a life disappear before him in such a pitiful way left a strange feeling in his heart.
---
"Maybe that person was just a deranged magician. That's the only reason someone would do something like that," Scott thought to himself.
The crystal train remained completely unaffected by the incident, maintaining its high speed before vanishing into the horizon.
---
Scott knew what would happen next.
There were security officers aboard the train.
They would definitely report this to the local police.
And then, the military would arrive, sending in large numbers of military police.
As someone who worked as a scavenger in the Ruins Graveyard, Scott's actions often bordered on the limits of the law.
As always, he avoided any involvement with the magic police to prevent unnecessary trouble.
Adjusting his clothes, he quickened his pace and crossed the drainage canal.
---
However—
What Scott did not know was that, in a separate level of existence, one that was invisible to him—
A black crystalline figure had appeared in the exact same spot where the mysterious shadow had once stood on the railway bridge.
It looked like a perfect replica of the mysterious shadow.
The figure stood there, looking confused as it observed its surroundings.
Then, finally—
Its eyes flickered.
---
Suddenly—
The transparent crystal shattered into countless fragments, leaving no trace behind.
The fragments glimmered in the moonlight, like a thousand radiant butterflies spreading their wings.
And without warning—
They silently entered Scott's body.
---
"…Did it just get colder, or is it just me?"
Scott felt an icy wind pierce through him, making his skin crawl.
It almost felt like he could hear a faint whisper, speaking in a language ancient and mysterious, right by his ear.
An indescribable terror filled him.
His body shuddered involuntarily.
---
"Strange… this is too strange."
The hairs on his body stood on end.
His blood felt frozen in his veins.
Adjusting his school uniform, he started running.
Logically, when a person runs, their body should generate heat.
But no matter how much Scott ran, no matter how much he pushed his speed to the absolute limit,
Even as his lungs burned, even as he gasped for air—
That biting cold never faded.
It clung to his soul like a shadow, swallowing him inch by inch.
---
Scott stumbled back home, barely holding himself together.
As soon as he threw himself through the door, his entire body felt like it had been frozen solid inside an ice cube.
But if someone were to look at him—
They would see his face flushed red, his forehead drenched in sweat, and his body surrounded by a white mist of steam rising into the air.
An unexplainable phenomenon.
---
"Damn it… I feel cold… Did I catch a cold?"
Scott's voice trembled, his words barely coherent.
His vision darkened, making it impossible to even search for medicine.
His eyelids grew heavier, battling against each other.
His legs weakened—
And he collapsed onto the floor.
With a sharp wheeze, his breath rasped—
And then, he lost consciousness entirely.
---
It was as if he had sunk into a deep swamp.
His five senses were almost completely stripped away.
He was drowning in an endless void of darkness.
A darkness so vast and suffocating, it felt like it had no end.
---
But in the very moment before he lost his mind, before he wished for it all to end—
His body suddenly relaxed.
The darkness receded, like an ebbing tide.
And then—
He breathed fresh air again.
---
But this time—
The air he inhaled felt a hundred times purer than any air he had ever breathed in his life.