"Finally."As Damion looked at the exit of the cave, his face lit up with joy. The thought of finally escaping this cold and dark cave was refreshing. He was also starting to run out of food and water. He didn't know for how many days he had been walking, but it had all been worth it.The exit of the cave looked exactly the same as the entrance. There was no gate. In fact, there was no exit either. The cave just ended there.But he knew it was an illusion. His family often used these kinds of illusions and magical barriers in their defenses.Usually, to remove the illusion, he would need a family ring. The family rings, called {name}, were used to determine who had the most authority in the family. These rings came in three colors: Blue, Green, and Purple—with Blue being the lowest and Purple the highest. Blue and Green could be achieved by any family member, regardless of class or rank, as long as they contributed enough to the family. Purple, however, was only given to pure-blooded members who also contributed significantly.He naturally didn't have any ring—he neither contributed enough to the family, nor was he a pure-blood. His mother was from one of the mage families and was given in marriage to his father as part of an alliance. Though, that alliance had long since broken.Luckily, he had another plan. He ordered his worm monster to dig through the right side of the cave, avoiding the barrier to prevent unwanted attention.After a while, his monster dug through the cave wall. As it cleared a way to the open world, the reaction he had wasn't what he expected.A cold breeze blew through the cave as he realized he had completely forgotten how cold these parts were. It was heavily snowing. Not to mention, he was probably at the highest part of the mountain range.Sadly, he didn't have time to pity his bad luck now. He knew he had to immediately get as far away from the cave as possible to feel safe enough to comfortably sleep.He stepped outside. The moment he did, he truly realized just how cold it was. He could probably stay alive for a couple of minutes at most without proper clothing.Standing still at the cave entrance, he started thinking. He had a few ideas, but he decided to experiment with what had saved his life so far. He exerted his aura out of his body, and surely enough, it started to feel a little warmer.But it still wasn't enough—it might give him another hour at most. That increased his chances of survival, but not by much.Then he remembered: he had already ranked up, which meant he could now control his aura much more easily. He didn't get a chance previously to test his new powers, so he had completely forgotten.Now was the perfect time. He focused, and sure enough, he could easily control his aura.He manipulated the aura until it became dense enough to shield him from the snow, then wrapped it around his entire body.It was hard to maintain this much aura, and it didn't completely block the cold either—but it could keep him alive for at least half a day in this weather. For now, that would do.As he took his first step outside, the snow swallowed his foot. Only then did he realize it would take much more time and effort to travel through these mountains than he thought.But he didn't want to stay near the cave any longer, so he ignored the difficulties.The snow also served an advantage: after a few moments, all traces of someone having walked there would be gone. So even if someone had followed him this far, they wouldn't be able to track him now. That was a relieving thought.
Meanwhile…
In a medium-sized village surrounded by snow and a heavy blizzard…At the center of the village stood the largest house—two stories tall but very wide. On the second floor sat a middle-aged man with black hair and gray eyes. His physique was mediocre at best; he could even be called skinny. His hair was messy, and there was a scar on his right eye—though surprisingly, both eyes worked perfectly.He was staring at a map carved into what looked like animal skin. It resembled the world, but not quite. He was wearing only the soft underclothes of his armor, with the heavy metal parts resting beside the table.Suddenly, a man entered the room without knocking. He was bald, muscular, and wore the hide of a dead wolf on his back."At least knock before coming in," the skinny man said."It's urgent. We have orders from the main family. It… its importance level is Grade Black," the muscular man said, catching his breath.The skinny man stood up abruptly, confused."A Grade Black mission? For us?""That's not even the weirdest part. Its difficulty level is only Blue."The skinny man's confusion deepened."Explain.""We don't know the details. It just says a boy around eighteen years old has escaped into this area. He's a traitor to the family and must be captured immediately. All the nearby minor families received the same order. The first to catch him will receive 10,000 gold… and a Red Ring from the family.""10,000…" the skinny man muttered. "That's enough to run a big city for a year. And a Red Ring? That's near the authority of the main families. Just who is this kid…? Forget it. Just tell me: alive or dead?""The message says to kill on sight."The skinny man paused, expression unreadable. Then he said,"Prepare the troops."