Devour My Own Path

"Noona will go in first to see the situation inside..."

Trang!!

Oliver continued to walk without looking in the mirror. Every time mirror rewinded memories of the past, Oliver immediately broke them.

"OLIVERR!!"

Little Oliver quickly opened the door to his father's office.

Trang!!

Dorr!!

A scene that had previously been something full of warmth and cheerfulness, turned into a tragedy.

In front of him, Oliver's uncle no longer held a tape gun, but a real gun aimed at his parents.

Trang!!

With his two eyes, Oliver saw his father fall from a gun pointed at his uncle. The sound of his mother and noona's screams added to little Oliver's confusion.

"Please... Don't kill my child..."

There, his uncle pointed his gun at Oliver's mother. And his mother begged him to forgive her child. Her face is full of unreadable emotions. 

"For the sake of family relations...."

"I'll let one of them live"

"NOOO.....!!!" Oliver's mother quickly embrace Meddie in her arms, protecting from hot bullets directed at them.

Doo-

Trang!!

Seeing the memories played again, made Oliver very angry.

A blood dripped from his bitten lips.

Oliver tries to silence his past by smashing all the glass he can see in an instant. However, the more Oliver rejects his past being twisted, the more distant and endless his passages become.

Knowing that, Oliver realizes that it would be futile to destroy it without letting the mirror replay his past. Finally Oliver decides to destroy the mirror while his memory is being replayed.

Oliver's mom was lying on the floor after the sound of gunshots was heard. However, before his uncle shoots, his older sister runs up to Oliver and closes his ears while hugging him so that he doesn't see the incident.

Even though it had been covered, Oliver could still clearly hear the loud sound of the gunshots.

Meddie, who had previously been in her mother's arms, now fell and lay beside Oliver's mother's body, crying.

"Noisy..."

His uncle pointed a gun at Meddie who was crying loudly because of fell and the sound of gunshots.

Oliver's noona, who saw his uncle's tail, immediately ran towards Meddie to protect her. "MEDDIEEE...!!"

Without feeling guilty in the slightest, two bullets were aimed at his noona.

Dor! Do-

Trang!!

This time, Oliver smashed the mirror with his hands.

Blood dripped from his noona's body. The sound of Meddie's crying was silenced in her arms.

"You...." His uncle voice stopped right at the end of his throat.

"Damn! Even though I wanted to let you stay alive but stupidly you jumped."

His uncle looked at Oliver. "What's wrong?! There's no need to be sad like that, this uncle of yours will be happy to take you to meet them."

A barrel of a firearm was pointed at Oliver. Ready to be pulled at any time.

Oliver's arms and legs trembled violently at the barrel of the gun. His young mind was empty and couldn't accept all the tragedy that happened right before his eyes.

However, before it could be actually pulled, a voice was heard from behind Oliver.

"Enough, honey..."

"We don't need to kill this handsome boy..."

A cold hand touched Oliver's neck and cheeks.

"Why? Wouldn't it be better to finish them all?"

"Don't worry, we still need the original heir to rule everything"

"That's right, Oliver?!"

Her calm yet cruel voice sounded haunting his ears.

Trangg!!

"AAAGGHHHH....!!"

"Please...."

"Stop...."

Oliver fell again, powerless to hold back all the pent-up emotions.

When he saw his aunt's rotten smile, his feelings were mixed.

His uncle and aunt were two people he hated very much even though time had passed. Oliver couldn't forget every detail of his past memories. He no longer knows how to make peace with everyone. He wished his brain could reset all those dark memories.

"Please...."

Tears had fallen down his face.

In the room where Areum was surprised to see her shadow in the mirror, felt a strong feeling that came from the bond between herself and her master, Oliver.

"Milord..."

Far down the hallway, there was a door. Inside, a little girl was sitting hugging a doll. Her shadow reflected off her back from the mirror.

"I beg.... please...."

She smiled.

...

"Unnie!! when are you going to take Sera to fight monsters?!"

Suddenly, the door to Sylv's office swung open, revealing an enthusiastic Sera.

"Oh wait a minute, sweetie..." Sylv put down the document she checked and opened her hunter card. Sera walked over, curious about what her brother saw.

"What is it, unnie?"

"Hm, this? this is a report about the dungeon" Sylv lifted Sera to sit on her lap and showed her what she had opened.

"Unnie is checking whether the dungeon I ordered has reached the time for the dungeon break or not"

"Eh?! Unnie ordered a dungeon to be left behind? Isn't that dangerous?" Sera looked up her face.

Sylv couldn't hold back her fingers to touch Sera's nose who saw her with a worried but adorable face. "Of course it's dangerous, but..."

"Look at this, unnie booked a dungeon away from the inhabitants and put a barrier around it so that the monsters wouldn't escape" Sylv showed the location of dungeon on the screen.

"Rat?!" Sera pointed to the image of the mouse displayed on dungeon information.

"Is Sera afraid of rats?"

"O-of course Sera is not afraid!"

The face unwilling to admit it was very funny. Sylv couldn't bear to tease her, "if the rat is big?"

"Big mouse??"

"Hmph! r-rats are still rats!!"

"Hahaha!"

"Well good.... Let's see when the dungeon breaks"

"It seems like Sera is very lucky! because the dungeon break will happen later in the afternoon" Sylv showed information about the time of the dungeon break.

"Waahhh!!"

Sylv stroked Sera's hair. "What if Sera trains first? I'll make a cake"

"Hum" Sera got off Sylv's lap and ran to practice.

Seeing Sera who had come out, Sylv leaned her back against the chair and sighed.

"Haaa... Actually I want to make her fight against goblins and hobgoblins who have slightly higher intelligence."

"But seeing their physique is almost the same as humans, I can't bear to make such a small girl kill them"

"Whatever, I can teach her slowly"

"I'd better prepare a cake and some utensils right away"

Sylv stood up from her seat and walked into the kitchen. She also prepared some equipment such as raid clothes and potions.

When Sylv goes out to serve the cake, she sees Sera who is practicing seriously. Sylv walked over and placed the cake carefully so as not to interfere with Sera's practice.

"Let's see how it goes" Sylv sat behind Sera and put her hands on Sera's back.

In Sera's subconscious.

"Uncle Dragon! today Sera is going to fight monsters for the first time and unnie said, it's a big mouse..."

"Hey little girl! I'm a great dragon, how can you make me a place to confide in."

"But dragon uncle, oppa is on his way to complete the dungeon and Sera doesn't want to worry Sylv."

"Damn! If it weren't for those hunter, I would definitely have taken your soul."

"Hehe, but Uncle Dragon won't do it."

"Why do you think so?!"

"Because the dragon uncle is a good dragon!" said Sera with her innocent smile.

"Haaa... I don't think I can beat your innocence."

"So? You can already use some of my power, what else is there to be afraid of?!"

"That..."

"Sigh... You always make me dizzy when you come here"

"Listen little girl, my strength is the greatest! No one can beat me as long as you know!"

"Uncle dragon was killed by Uncle Oliver"

"HEY!!"

"Ugh... exclude those anomaly"

Sylv, who was watching from a distance, laughed and saw the two who seemed to be getting closer.

The goal of Sera's training was to form a bond with the soul dragon and gradually master its powers.

Sylv remembered when Sera and the soul dragon first met. At that time, Sera, who was still innocent and knew nothing about the power in her body, met a dragon that could manipulate the soul and mind and had fought against the strongest hunter.

Being in the subconscious, Sylv initially didn't do anything to the dragon, such as tying it up or anything so as not to try something to Sera. However, Sylv wants to see how the 14-year-old will deal with the monsters inside.

When facing each other, soul dragons do nothing. He just stood silently observing the little girl in front of him. The soul dragon knew that he had been defeated by Oliver and it was likely that he was currently inside the body of the girl in front of him.

And the soul dragon also knew that there was no way the little girl would be allowed to meet him unattended. It wasn't someone who was weak.

Asking for all possible consequences, the soul dragon made a pact with Sera.

"Are you the one who drank my elixir?"

Sera nodded cautiously.

"Come here, before you learn my strength, I want to make a pact"

Hearing that, Sera became worried. Sylv, who had been watching before, was preparing to take down the soul dragon if something bad happened.

"Calm down, I won't hurt you."

Carefully, Sera walked over.

"Put your hand on my head" the soul dragon lowered its head lower so that it could be touched by Sera.

"This is a covenant that if I break it by hurting you, I will be tormented"

This is the safest deal he can offer. And let the people watching him know that he had no plans to harm the little girl in front of him.

The soul dragon knows that if he makes a blood pact and if one day he accidentally hurts Sera, then the soul dragon will die and so will Sera who loses her life support.

Sylv found out about this and let the soul dragon make his deal.

"I just want to see how the world goes after my death and you, little girl, can use my powers"

"Isn't that mutually beneficial?"

Sera's hand, which was about to touch the soul dragon's head, suddenly stopped when she heard his words.

"N-no! Why are you hurting yourself just to live in peace?!"

"Why don't we just be friends with each other...?!" Sera said with the innocence of a child who didn't know anything about the hunter world.

Suddenly, Sera's words made Sylv and the soul dragon shocked. Friends?

"Hey little girl! Do you understand what you mean? What do you think about 'befriending' monsters?!"

"T-that... Because Dragon Uncle looks like a good monster"

"Uncle Dragon?"

"Huuhh… Am I living too long alone," he said softly.

Sera looked confused, but she raised her hand and gave her little finger.

The soul dragon looked at Sera's pinky finger outstretch, "why did you give me a little finger?"

"This... usually to make an appointment with a friend"

"Haaa as long as you understand" the soul dragon tied Sera's little finger with his.

"Hehe, now we're friends, Uncle Dragon"

"Don't call me Uncle Dragon."

"Very well, uncle!"

"Whatever..."

Back in the present, Sera and the soul dragon talk to each other and talk about some things about what to do when fighting real monsters.

"Looks like your unnie is calling," said the soul dragon when he found out Sera was called out there.

"Then see you, Dragon Uncle!"

"Thanks for the advice!"

Sera waved her hand and slowly disappeared.

"She's a little girl who is too excited..."

Outside, Sylv calls Sera and offers her a cake.

A few hours later when Sylv's dungeon break occurred.

"Are you ready, Sera?!" Sylv asked looking at Sera who was busy with her hunter clothes.

"Ready, unnie!!"

"Alright, it's time to leave"

….

Arriving near the dungeon, Sylv stopped her car and invited Sera to walk.

"From here on we will walk"

"Okayy unnie!"

The dungeon break place this time is on a small hill with no settlements around it. The two continue to walk through the forest and sometimes Sylv helps Sera not to be too tired.

When they arrived, the situation around the dungeon break was already chaotic filled with rats that were 5 times the size of normal rats. And in the middle of the herd, the mouse boss, which is twice the size, is in control.

Although the situation is somewhat chaotic, Sylv has put up a barrier that prevents the rats from going far from the dungeon break location.

"HIII...!!"

Sera immediately ran behind Sylv when she first saw such a large mouse.

"Someone before said there are people who are not afraid of rats..."

"Sera doesn't remember anything"

"Hey, calm down, Sera! They can't see us because unnie has made our presence undetectable."

Hearing that, Sera slowly came out of her hiding place and saw the monster in front of her once again. Although it is still a little scared.

Sylv smiled and stroked Sera's head. "Did you see the biggest one there?"

Sylv pointed at mouse boss.

"Hum"

"Now use your power to control it"

"O-okay, unnie"

Sera tried to get into the monster boss. As the dragon uncle said, Sera would naturally be able to use her powers and only needed real practice to truly master them.

"UNNIE, SERA SUCCEEDED!!"

When Sera managed to enter boss's soul, it was seen that the swarm of rats stopped moving, waiting for the boss's orders.

Sylv then sat down in front of Sera. "Then, order the boss to kill each other"

"What? no, h-how could Sera do-"

"Sera!" Sylv held both of Sera's cheeks.

"The reason why i invited you to see monsters is to get you used to killing them"

"Remember Sera, all the monsters that come from dungeons.... must be killed"

"Uh-huh"

"Sera! I know what you're thinking."

"The fact that the rat is not attacking humans at the moment is because I drove it away with a barrier"

"What will happen if i don't put up a barrier?!"

"That..."

"It will be..." Sylv lifted Sera's face to see her.

Even though Sera knows all that, still...

"Calm down Sera, unnie won't make you see and hear everything"

"But for the next one, you have to be strong to face it"

"Hum" Sera nodded heavily.

"Now close your eyes" Sylv then closes Sera's ears tightly.

As if hypnotized, the flock of mice began to attack each other. The situation that was initially calm has now turned into a tragedy. The rats began to attack each other, bite and eat. The situation is really chaotic. Even more chaotic than the beginning of the dungeon break began.

The act of attacking each other lasted for quite a long time because of the large number of rats that came out of the dungeon. The typical sound of a panicked rat can be heard everywhere. Although Sera didn't hear them, she knew what was going on in front of her.

"Open your eyes, Sera" Sylv had released her hand that covered Sera's ear.

Silent.

That was Sera's first time.

"Sera..."

"Even if you don't see or hear it directly, you still have to see what happened to the rat mouse"

Bleughh...

Shortly after Sera opened her eyes and saw what was in front of her, she spewed out her entire stomach.

There, the carcasses of rat carcasses that had been scattered with their contents were scattered everywhere.

"That's enough"

Sylv helps Sera stabilize her mana and leads her to walk away.

After calming down, Sylv asked how Sera was doing. But Sera suddenly remember when she uses her skill.

"Oppa..."

"Sera feels that oppa is restless"

"Hyun...?!"

When Sera uses her powers, she senses something wrong that happened to her oppa, Hyun. Sylv didn't feel that it came from Sera's power which should still not be able to feel his distant existence, especially now that Hyun was in the dungeon.

What really happened?