Dancing on the golden ashes

I could somewhat understand how Kim Seong-Hoon felt—it was a horrible, horrible fate for those people. Their hopes, their dreams... I felt responsible for their deaths. A heavy, sour feeling pressed down on me, gnawing at my insides. I wanted to avenge them, and it all led back to that one person. Kim Ha-Joon... You better barricade yourself well in that stupid castle of yours, because I'll come knocking.

After coming to this world, I didn't immediately think of killing him. Sure, the thought crossed my mind—more than once. But I'm only human; sometimes revenge blinds us, compelling us to unsheath our blades. In truth, I just wanted to humiliate those who framed me, to make them regret what they did.

But now...

Any thoughts of pity or mercy dissolved, replaced by a cold, lingering bloodlust.

"Calm down... I'm the one who will deal with him. This is personal."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I could feel my eyes burning like wildfire, the rage within them impossible to extinguish.

My words cut through Kim Seong-Hoon like a knife, and I saw the fire in his eyes recede. He looked at me reluctantly, but I knew he understood me better than most here.

"I know... it's just..." He clenched his fists even tighter, his gaze dropping to the ground. His body trembled slightly—not from fear, but from rage.

It took a while for Kim Seong-Hoon to cool down. Eun-Woo suggested we all sit down and talk, pulling out a wooden cup and plate from his spatial storage. When did he have time to make those? He passed them out to everyone.

"I don't need one, thanks..." I replied. Eun-Woo didn't yet know about my unique ability; after all, we'd only known each other for less than a day.

Next, he pulled out a massive boar from his storage. Honestly, I was impressed it even fit in there. After my very first battle, I hadn't experimented much with my own skill, so I wasn't sure what its limits were—except that no living thing could be stored.

I offered to light the fire, while Kim Seong-Hoon sliced a massive tree into thin pieces, giving us wood for a bonfire. As the boar roasted over the flames, we gathered around, exchanging stories about our pasts.

Through this, I learned new things about my "teammates"—yes, they had once again forced me into a group. Rest in peace, my experience points...

Apparently, Kang Eun-Woo used to be a baker. Yes, a freaking baker... I found it hard to imagine this massive dude—who looked more like a bodybuilder or police officer—standing behind a counter, selling beautifully decorated, cute cakes.

There wasn't much to learn about Jieun. She simply mentioned that she was still in school and loved taekwondo. Beyond that, she didn't have much to share—except her endless chatter about dolls and friends she left behind in the real world, which I nodded at, pretending to listen.

The smell of roasted boar tickled my nose as everyone but me enjoyed their meal. I sat alone, pretending to be engrossed with my scythe, trying not to show that I cared. But being left out like this... it felt slightly bitter.

Kim Seong-Hoon didn't share much either as he ate. He exchanged a few words but seemed lost in his thoughts. He mentioned not having a job and that he spent most of his time playing video games or watching Korean dramas.

As the evening settled in, the group continued chatting, sharing stories of their experiences in this new world. Kim Seong-Hoon sat next to Soo-Ah, and for some reason, it irked me. Why is this bothering me? Am I jealous? No... of course not. I don't care, even if those fools kiss. They were extremely close, chatting, having a good time.

But what caught my attention most was Soo-Ah's hand resting on his thigh. Was she hitting on him? I had no experience in dating, but even I could tell that was a bit too obvious...

"She's trying to steal them all away from you, Gaon. Don't you see how she doesn't care about you anymore? She betrayed you once—don't you think she'll do it again?"

The eerie voice echoed in my mind, more annoying than anything else. I decided to ignore it; sometimes that was the best response.

I was just about to stand up and leave—I couldn't handle the feeling in my chest anymore—but at that moment, Kim Seong-Hoon got up and moved to sit beside me. I caught a glimpse of Soo-Ah's face, twisted into an ugly, sad expression.

The wolves lay around us, shielding us from the cool evening breeze and allowing everyone to lean against their soft bodies for warmth and comfort.

Kim Seong-Hoon leaned against Ravokar, sitting next to me, our shoulders almost touching. I shifted slightly to the side, accidentally settling down on Malrang's tail.

"WOOO!"

"Sorry..." I said, genuinely apologetic.

"It's okay... but if you sit on either of my tails again, I'll sit on you with all my weight."

In her small form, her angry tone sounded more like a pout than a threat—making her seem even cuter.

"How have you been, big sis?" Kim Seong-Hoon suddenly asked, his tone awkward—missing its usual liveliness.

"It's been better without you around," I replied coldly.

"Ehh? Don't say that, big sis. I've missed you a lot! Can you imagine? I've reached level 25 now. I'm ranked 100 in the world rankings." He bragged, and it only soured my mood further.

"Good for you..." I said flatly. I couldn't care less about his ranking.

"Don't be such a party pooper. Have some fun. Or are you intimidated by my growth? Afraid I'll overtake you for good? Now that I'm level 25, I could probably beat you with my eyes closed." His tone dripped with mockery, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"You want to fight, you piece of shit?!" I snapped, and everyone's gaze turned to me.

"Hahaha, now this is the big sis I remember—the one I always respected." He laughed heartily. "I'm just joking. I wouldn't want to experience the same humiliation a third time, but I do wonder... just how strong have you become?" There was a genuine curiosity in his voice.

Is he testing me? If he really wants to see my strength, he'd better reach level 100 first. Maybe then he'd finally win. But for now, I'm the big sister here! Eh? No—forget that. Never again. Where did that thought even come from?

"Forget about it. I just missed you so much, that's all. I'm glad to see you're okay... I was devastated when I heard about your death." His eyes were locked on mine. Why was he like this? I couldn't understand him at all. He was like a puppy, refusing to leave its master—always barking, always staying close no matter how many times I pushed him away.

"Okay..." I didn't know how to respond to that. Now that I thought about it, no one had ever said they missed me before. People usually ignored me, leaving me to be as I was. But not this idiot... he kept coming back every time I kicked him away.

The evening turned into night, and everyone gradually fell asleep on the wolves. The air was calm, and we all felt safe here—this area was filled with low-level monsters, too afraid to even come near us.

I remained awake, watching the fire burn beautifully. It danced over the last few logs, flickering and dwindling as it was about to fade out.

This world... this life is so strange. I never wanted friends. I only wanted to be alone, to travel by myself, but these people kept coming back. They were stuck to me for no apparent reason. What about me attracts them? Is it because I'm strong? Or is there something else...? I didn't understand it. Experience tales with empire

My heavy eyelids slowly closed, and I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, the fire was gone—only cold ashes remained. Everyone was still asleep, so I took the opportunity to stretch and test out my strength a little. Sneaking away to the edge of the forest, I aimed my scythe at the trees ahead.

Let's see... It said the scythe is more powerful now. If I can cut a good number of trees at once, that should prove it.

I remembered how solid these trees were when I first arrived—like cast iron. Now, it was time to see how much I had grown.

Wind Slash!

A concentrated wind attack shot from my scythe, moving at lightning speed. The next moment, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. For miles ahead of me, trees were lifted into the sky and fell to the ground, each one cut clean through by the wind slash. It was so sharp, so powerful, that it sliced through everything in its path like butter—until it finally reached its maximum range and dissipated.

A huge new passageway now stretched through the forest and I vowed then and there to never mess around in low-level areas again.

Well, today is the day. I'm about to truly test this out on someone's castle. The entire east will know my name—the one who slayed Kim Ha-Joon!