Chapter 35: Invitation Into the Forbidden Forest (1)

Night passed, and before long even the light of the Moon vanished—swallowed by a bleak, suffocating eclipse.

Here in Ordeal, there were no warm rays of sunlight to stir people gently from their dreams.

Even when the sky shifted into that strange, muted orange unique to this world, it differed little from the desolate night.

In truth, the night was kinder.

At least the Moon offered a sliver of light—unlike the merciless eclipse that ruled the day.

Inside his room, wrapped in rare moments of quiet, Ethan Heart slept deeply after a night heavy with revelations.

Despite the insomnia that had plagued him, exhaustion finally claimed him. The accumulated fatigue dragged him under, and he slept like a child.

But peace never lingered long in Ordeal.

The lights in his room flared to life automatically—casting a harsh beam directly across his face.

Ethan’s eyes opened slowly, irritation flickering within them as the sudden brightness stabbed at his vision.

At first, everything appeared blurred. Then he realized the source .. the ceiling lamp suspended above his bed.

This was the customary way hunters were awakened: the first artificial ray of their day, a poor substitute for the sun whose warmth they no longer knew.

All hunters were accustomed to it.

Ethan was not.

He frowned deeply, annoyance written plainly across his face.

Without sitting up, he extended his hand toward his desk and seized one of the thick books stacked there.

With precise aim, he hurled it upward.

The book struck the lamp with enough force to shatter it instantly.

The light died at once.

Glass fragments rained down across his face, but he calmly lifted his blanket to shield himself, letting the shards scatter harmlessly over the cover.

Lying amid the broken glass, Ethan drifted back to sleep as though nothing had happened.

Once, he had been a gaming addict capable of sleeping through entire days. It seemed those habits had followed him into this new world as well.

For a few blissful minutes, he slept again, a faint smile on his face as he clutched his pillow.

But tranquility was not meant for him.

This time, it wasn’t light that disturbed him.

It was sound.

Footsteps.

Voices.

People moving beyond his door, speaking loudly.. as if they stood inside the room itself.

The noise did not come only from the corridor. It spilled in through his open window as well.

Within minutes, the once-quiet hunters’ residence transformed into something akin to a crowded café during a football match.

“Where do they get this energy at this hour?!” Ethan muttered, pressing his pillow over his head in a futile attempt to block the noise.

He tried to ignore them, hoping they would quiet down long enough for him to return to sleep.

He had no clock to check the time, but he guessed it couldn’t be later than six in the morning.

A time he had never once awakened to in his previous life.

If anything, he used to be playing games at this hour.

His biological clock was utterly ruined—much like several other aspects of his life.

Despite his desperate attempts to fall asleep again, failure became inevitable.

And then came the third disturbance.

Stronger than all the rest.

A thunderous knock on his door.

At first, the visitor knocked normally—twice.

When no response came, the knocking escalated into violent pounding, each strike heavier than the last .. until it sounded as though the door might splinter.

The sheer force behind it gave Ethan a clear image of the man standing outside. To produce such noise, he had to be large. Muscular.

After several relentless minutes, Ethan finally dragged himself from bed and opened the door.

A familiar figure stood there.

Tall. Short red hair. Broad frame.

Already fully dressed in a long dark-blue coat, black gloves, and boots that rose nearly to his knees.

It was Raiden Heart.

His brows knitted tightly the moment he saw Ethan.

Ethan stood there in sleepwear, wrapped in his blanket which he had dragged with him to the door.

One eye barely open.

The other sealed shut.

And that mechanical arm—so utterly out of place within this chaotic scene.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing… Ethan Heart oversleeping?!” Raiden slapped his forehead as if witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime event.

His gaze swept over the dark room behind Ethan, and he quickly pieced things together.

“Did you smash your lamp?!” he exclaimed, finally noticing the glass shards glittering across the blanket.

Ethan sighed heavily, a dull headache beginning to throb.

“Could you lower your voice? Every word you say echoes like a bell inside my skull.”

“What are you talking about? It’s well past six! Every other hunter is already outside except us!” Raiden pushed past him, dragging Ethan along as though hauling a sack of grain.

“Can’t I sleep a few more hours? It’s not like we’re heading out on a expedition anytime soon…” Ethan mumbled, still half-asleep.

Raiden tightened his grip and pulled him forcefully.

“No way! You’re the last hunter who can afford to sleep in!”

Without warning, Raiden grabbed him and tossed him into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

“You have a life-or-death duel in one month! How can you be this careless?!” Raiden shouted through the door.

From the other side, Ethan replied lazily,

“Sleep is essential. If I don’t rest properly, I won’t be able to think clearly.”

His voice carried the unmistakable tone of a man who had not yet fully woken to reality.

“…If you’re that desperate to sleep, then you should’ve given up the title of hunter and settled for some ordinary job inside Ashvarn!”

Raiden snapped, clearly irritated by Ethan’s indifference.

“You’re lucky it was me who woke you. If Moon had come and seen you in this miserable state, she would’ve kicked you straight out the window.”

Raiden spoke casually .. yet he uttered a name that jolted Ethan fully awake at last.

“Damn it… I completely forgot about her…” Ethan muttered.

“What are you talking about?” Raiden asked.

“Nothing. Just go wait outside. I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

Ethan finished up quickly, washing himself and splashing water over his face before lifting his gaze to the mirror.

“How am I supposed to face her after last night?”

He exhaled slowly, recalling that strange encounter with Moon—and how he had rejected her.

“From her perspective… the man she loved ended their relationship without warning. And now she’ll have to see him every single day after that.”

He stepped out of the bathroom still lost in thought.

Then he suddenly slapped his own cheek, forcing his mind back into focus.

“I don’t have time to dwell on other people’s feelings. I have too much to do.”

Reinforcing his resolve, he opened his wardrobe.

The previous owner of this body had possessed an impressive collection—entirely Victorian in style. Elegant. Practical. Suitable for both battle and ceremony.

One could fight in these clothes… and then attend a gathering afterward without needing to change.

“I absolutely adore this style.”

A faint smile tugged at Ethan’s lips as he selected what he deemed appropriate.

He ended up wearing a long crimson leather coat that reached his knees, flowing behind him like a living shadow.

Beneath it, a fitted black waistcoat with gleaming buttons, crossed by a leather strap over the chest.

Layer upon layer intertwined, creating an aristocratic yet ominous presence.. luxury fused with brutality.

He pulled on long black gloves, concealing his legion arm, and finished with a pair of tall leather boots.

The high collar rose enough to cover half his face up to the bridge of his nose, granting him a mysterious air he found quite satisfying.

Content with his appearance, Ethan stepped outside.

Raiden stood there waiting—his patience clearly worn thin.

“Was that your idea of five minutes, you bastard? I thought I was waiting for a princess, not a man!”

Ethan had taken nearly half an hour inside.

“There’s no need to complain. I barely know anything about myself. It’s only natural I’d take time figuring things out.”

Raiden’s frown deepened.

“I see your mouth moving, but all I hear are excuses. Pull yourself together and be serious for once. Your life is on the line, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“I know. Let’s just go.”

With a sigh, Ethan followed him out. They left the hunters’ residence without eating anything—a fact that only worsened Raiden’s mood.

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