Chapter 12: The Name That Doesn’t Exist

I returned once again to the underground black market and headed straight for the tavern where I had met Red Eye.

When I opened the door and stepped inside, I was greeted by the same scene as last time.

Many mysterious figures sat in the corners of the place.

As my eyes swept across the tavern, I found the person I was looking for.

In the corner—specifically at the same table as before—Red Eye was sitting there, his cloak hiding all of his features as usual.

I walked up to him, pulled out the chair across from him, and sat down.

The moment I did, he spoke.”We meet again, my friend.”Then, before I could react, he raised his hand and signaled the bartender.”Two beers, please.”

I frowned slightly.”I didn’t ask you—”

He cut me off before I could finish.”No need to be annoyed… trust me, you’ll need it.”

I let out a sigh at this man’s behavior.

A moment later, the bartender arrived and placed two large mugs on the table—one in front of me, the other in front of Red Eye.

Without hesitation, he picked up his mug and took a sip, while I waited for him to start talking.

But he was really taking his time, so I asked,”So, what are the results?”

He set the mug down and said,”Negative.”

I raised an eyebrow.”What do you mean?”

He took another sip, then continued.”There isn’t a single person named Astroweild in all four empires… not in the entire world.”

Silence filled the space between us.

For a few moments, I wondered if I had chosen the wrong person—but I quickly dismissed the thought.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“One hundred percent,” he replied cheerfully.

As I sank into thought, I found myself picking up the beer and taking a sip.

So… where did my name come from?

The system didn’t write names randomly or on its own. It recorded the name that had been given to you by someone else.

Which raised the question—who gave me this name?

And let’s not forget, I was very handsome, even by this world’s standards. That meant my parents must have had good looks as well—and a high status.

I took another sip of beer.

Could they be from the Void System?

No… I didn’t think so. I knew the higher ranks of the Void System, and I was certain I wasn’t the child of any of them.

Besides, even those monsters wouldn’t allow their own child to become nothing more than an experiment.

And then another question surfaced—I couldn’t remember anything from before the age of seven. That alone was strange. Children were supposed to have memories at that age. There were several possible explanations.

Maybe I had lost my memories for some reason.Maybe my mind had been tampered with.Or maybe it was the result of one of the experiments performed on me.

I sighed.”Just more questions.”

Should I abandon this name altogether?

But I couldn’t imagine doing that. For some reason, I liked this name far too much—enough to want to keep it, even if it meant risking future trouble.

I took another sip of beer, only for the strange man sitting across from me to interrupt my thoughts.

“So, do you like the drink I ordered for you?”

I rolled my eyes at his words, then pulled out the black card and handed it to him.”Here. You can take the rest of your payment.”

When he took it and scanned it, I felt my heart tighten slightly… my money.

He handed the card back and asked,”Any other services you want?”

I nodded.”Yes. There’s something else I want, but it’s a bit complicated.”

To take my next step—passing the Axis’s entrance exam—I needed an identification card.

A real one. Not a fake.

This world was far more advanced than my previous one. Almost everyone was registered in each empire’s data centers, so forged documents would be exposed the moment they were scanned.

I didn’t let him wait before continuing.”I want you to register me in the Solaria Empire’s data center as an ordinary citizen who grew up alone, without parents. And focus—I want the registration to be real and legal, not forged. The ID card too.”

When I finished, Red Eye let out an amused laugh.

“Asking for something legal in an illegal way… you really have good taste in requests,” he said, raising his mug to his lips.

His response was exactly what I expected.”That’s easy. All I need is a photo of you, your fingerprints, your information—from height to age—and your full name. Everything will be ready within two days.”

All of his requests were reasonable, even though I felt uneasy about giving him that information. Still, I didn’t really have a choice.

Now came the painful part.”And how much will it cost?”

“Only one hundred thousand.”

My body trembled at the number, my expression collapsing.

“Are you kidding me? Why is this so much more expensive than last time?” I said.

“Don’t get angry, my friend… this time I need to pay a lot of bribes, as you know.”

Unfortunately, he was right.

I sighed, leaning back against the chair.

Should I go hunting?To find second-rank monsters, I’d have to go deep into the forest—and that would take a lot of time.

Or should I sell the ring on my finger?But I needed it to carry my belongings.

As I was thinking, Red Eye spoke.”Looks like you’re having some financial difficulties.”

I clicked my tongue.”What do you think I am? A spoiled young master with an endless supply of money?” I said mockingly, even though I truly wished that were the case.

Red Eye looked amused.”Well, with your looks, you certainly seem like one.”

“Unfortunately, I’ll have to disappoint you… I’m just a poor handsome guy.”

Silence fell for a moment before Red Eye spoke again.”Alright. Since I like you, I’ll do it for free this time.”

I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t like mysterious men when they started talking like this.”You like me? …Sorry, but I don’t want to owe you.”

He raised his hand dramatically, as if denying a false accusation.”No, no, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not doing this to put you in my debt… consider it a gesture of goodwill.”

Goodwill?My ass.

What does this guy take me for—an idiot?

“And why do you want to show goodwill toward me?” I asked.

“Trust me, my eyes can see many things… and from what I see, you’re special. So let’s just say I want to stay on your good side.”

Look at these sweet words.

Well… he wasn’t wrong either. I really was special. And considering what he said about his eyes, he might be referring to some strange ability.

Should I just accept it?It would save me a lot of time, especially with the entrance exam being so close.

After a brief moment of thought, I answered,”Alright… I’ll accept your goodwill.”

He clapped his hands.”Great. So, shall we start now? I assume you want it as soon as possible.”

I nodded in agreement.

Then he stood up and gestured for me to follow him.”Let’s go somewhere else.”

I got up and followed him. We didn’t leave the tavern—instead, we went up a staircase to the second floor, which seemed to contain many rooms.

He stopped in front of a certain door, opened it, and stepped inside.”Go ahead, come in. You can think of this place as your home.”

I entered and scanned the room.

There was almost nothing inside—just a desk in the corner and a few chairs.

Home, he said.

Red Eye walked over to the desk and began pulling devices out of his strange cloak, placing them on top.

Then he motioned for me to come closer.”Here. Place your hand so I can take your fingerprints.” He pointed to what looked like a scanner.

I hesitated briefly, then placed my hand down as he scanned it and stored my fingerprints.

What followed felt like a government inspection.

He took a photo of my face and recorded my height and age.

“So, what’s your birthday?” he asked.

I didn’t know, so I didn’t care.”Just put a random one that matches my age.”

Of course, he didn’t miss the chance to add a sarcastic comment.”Oh… how depressing.” It was obvious he was enjoying this.

“And now, what’s your full name?”

I hesitated—but I had already made up my mind.”Caius Astroweild.”

He wrote it down without question, as if he had expected me to use that last name.

When he was done, he waved at me.”Alright, we’re finished here. I’ll contact you in two days to collect your card.”

…

Two days passed quickly.

And here I was, sitting at the same table, in the same tavern, with the same company.

Red Eye slid a card toward me.”This is your ID card. Congratulations—you are now an official citizen of Solaria.”

I picked up the card, examined it, and checked the information on it.

“So, are you leaving Castelta now?” Red Eye asked.

“Yes.”

“Will you perhaps be participating in the Axis entrance exam?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Look at this guy… is he trying to intimidate me now?

“Are you saying you know what I’m going to do?” I asked, my voice filled with irritation at his behavior.

Red Eye waved his hand dismissively.”No… don’t misunderstand me. You’re just at the right age to join the Axis, so I was simply curious whether you’d pass the entrance exam.”

I rolled my eyes at his words and decided to satisfy his curiosity.”Yes… I will.”Then I pushed the chair back and stood up to leave.

“Then I’ll be watching… so I hope you put on a good and entertaining show. Especially this year—it’s a bit different.”

I understood what he was getting at.

As I thought about the entrance exam, a wide smile spread across my face.

I left the tavern, leaving a few words behind me.

“Then make sure you watch… watch as I crush them all.”

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