Dust Rose
'He looks way tougher than when I designed him... but no matter how I look at it, that's Rion.'
My mind flashed with just one name. Rion. Yeah, it was Rion.
Among the countless characters I'd created, this was the one classified as the 'vengeful ghost' type.
He started off frustratingly weak at first, but the moment he met certain conditions, he turned into a monster with insane potential—stronger than anyone in the world.
Back then, when other players made tier lists based on the characters I'd designed and raised myself, he'd proudly claimed the top spot in S-tier, excluding the five that were off the charts.
'Hanji was in A-tier, Leina in S-tier...'
Since Rion's Supernatural Ability was real, his potential could explode even further. Graphics had their limits, after all.
"...Intriguing."
A faint smile tugged at my lips without me realizing it.
'To think I'd run into another one of my characters this quickly, besides Hanji and Leina...'
But there was one sticking point. Unlike Hanji or Leina, it wouldn't be easy to bring Rion under my influence or manage him directly.
Rion was the type who had to be pushed to the absolute limit alone to grow.
Any help or interference from the side would only screw up his development—a character with a truly hopeless growth path.
'Hmm. What to do.'
I looked at Elbern standing before me and asked,
"In your view, what kind of man is this Crow, the leader of Black Claw?"
"I believe he's a man of resourcefulness, sir."
"Why?"
"Crow was born and raised in Cheongam Fortress's slums. He's survived on wicked deeds since childhood, joined Black Claw, and clawed his way to the top through countless betrayals and bloodshed—starting from nothing."
Elbern's assessment made sense.
The slums, especially those in Haven's territories, were more ruthless than anywhere else.
In a place where the weak were destined to die, no exceptions were made for children. If anything, being weak made them targets for even crueler treatment.
Climbing to the top of an organization from that hellhole was proof of his ambition and cunning.
Of course, he'd probably lost every shred of humanity in the process...
"And what about Dust Rose?"
"Without any intervention, I see it as an organization that will soon vanish into Black Claw."
Dust Rose was just a ragtag group of weak slum kids, after all.
Elbern's mention of 'any intervention' was likely because he'd noticed my interest in Dust Rose. He'd factored in the possibility of my involvement.
'But I see it differently.'
If the leader there really was Rion, as listed in the report, then the situation was entirely different from Elbern's prediction.
'No matter how it's just a bunch of kids, in Haven, the powerless can't become leader.'
Rion was weaker than a normal person—practically an invalid—unless he unlocked his conditional ability.
Yet he'd become the head of a group...
'He must have awakened his ability. The fact he's still stuck in the slums means he either just met the condition or can't control it properly yet.'
Even without help, the slums' power structure would naturally fall into Rion's hands.
'Of course, no reason to just sit around and wait.'
If I stepped in personally, I could handle things much faster, and on my terms.
"Elbern, we're heading to the slums."
"Yes, I'll prepare the knights—"
"No. Knights aren't needed."
Elbern looked slightly flustered at my firm tone and asked,
"Pardon?"
I turned my gaze to the man standing there with a massive shield strapped to his back.
"Rynel, was it?"
"Yes, Captain."
He answered steadily.
"Just you come with me."
The goal here was to 'help' Rion. But in his eyes, I had to appear as a thorough 'enemy.'
Rion only grew to his extremes with a target he wanted to kill.
That was how I'd designed him in the game.
'I could mobilize a large force of knights and crush the entire slums...'
But moving with a minimal elite team was better.
There was no one in Cheongam Fortress who could threaten me anyway.
'Of course, I'm bringing Rynel for that tiny... microscopic bit of unease.'
Just looking at that enormous shield told me everything.
Rynel would show defense beyond common sense. He was the perfect insurance for any contingency.
At the same time, deep in Cheongam Fortress's slums.
Amid tattered tents, inside a rundown warehouse. Under dim lantern light, a few shadows gathered.
The musty stench of mold mixed with sweat assaulted the nose, but their eyes gleamed sharply.
The youngest-looking boy among them, Rion, spoke lowly.
"...Right now, Black Claw's movements are too suspicious."
His voice carried a gravity and deep wariness beyond his years.
His comrades held their breath, listening intently.
The omens from Black Claw, the shadow over the slums, were a matter of life and death for them.
Dante, a fighter from Dust Rose sitting across from Rion, nodded and continued.
A strange unease flickered across his face.
"Yeah. Normally, they'd charge at us like they wanted to kill us just for stepping near their turf... but now, nothing. It's too quiet."
Mari, the girl beside him, frowned and countered.
"You think too much? I heard a new captain arrived at the fortress today. Even Black Claw wouldn't want to make a fuss with the captain here. They're probably laying low."
A few kids nodded at her words.
It was a plausible explanation.
But Rion and Dante's eyes remained unsettled.
Their instincts screamed that this wasn't just 'laying low.'
Rion shook his head firmly.
"No, it's too weird. Even with a new captain in the fortress, that's no reason to care about the slums. This place was always beneath their notice. This level of quiet... something's up."
Rion's words left Dante and the other Dust Rose executives silent for a moment.
Rion was the youngest, but he'd gathered the abandoned and weak in this brutal slum, uniting them under Dust Rose.
Thanks to his uncanny judgment and decisiveness, they finally had a sliver of hope to survive here.
Then—
The tent flap burst open violently, and a blood-soaked young boy dashed in.
Terror and despair twisted his face.
"B-Big trouble!"
Rion rushed over, grabbing the boy's shoulders.
The kid's shoulders heaved unsteadily, caked in blood and dirt.
"Calm down and tell me slowly. What exactly happened?"
The boy, gasping for breath, finally gathered himself and spoke.
"Boss! Black Claw... Black Claw's attacking! There's... too many of them!"
With that shout, the slums outside erupted in earth-shaking footsteps and murderous yells.
Hundreds of shadows tore through the tattered tents mercilessly, surging toward their turf like a tidal wave.
Torches blazed in their hands alongside sharp weapons, their eyes gleaming with nothing but killing intent.
Mari's earlier composure vanished from her face.
Pale as a ghost, her mouth agape, she froze in shock.
Sensing the dire situation, a rare curse escaped Rion's lips.
"That fucking Crow."
Swallowing his rage, Rion issued calm orders.
"Dante, fighters—follow me. Mari, evacuate everyone who can't fight to safety."
Mari still seemed panicked, but she nodded instinctively at Rion's firm voice.
"O-Okay..."
"Let's go, Dante."
Rion dashed out of the warehouse with Dante.
In that brief moment, he prayed desperately in his heart, over and over.
'Please... please, no one hurt.'
'Please... no one dead...'
But the scene that unfolded before them crushed Rion's desperate hopes.
Small corpses of children littered the cold ground.
The tents they'd lived in were shredded and scattered, or engulfed in crimson flames, burning pathetically.
The metallic stench of blood mixed with acrid smoke stabbed into Rion's lungs.
The reality before him was hell itself.
"Ah..."
A short sigh leaked from Rion's lips.
His eyes couldn't even register the surrounding Black Claw thugs.
As if entranced, Rion approached the fallen children's bodies.
'Luna...'
'Ella...'
'Finn...'
'Zito...'
Just yesterday, they'd been running through the alleys, calling 'Rion bro!' or 'Boss!' with bright smiles.
Tugging his clothes with tiny hands, begging for snacks or toys, eyes sparkling at his tales.
Those kids...
Now lay as cold corpses.
Thud.
Rion dropped to his knees right there.
He couldn't even feel the cold ground.
His shoulders began to tremble faintly, and soon suppressed sobs burst out.
Childlike, heartbroken weeping echoed through the ruined slums.
Seeing this, mocking laughter erupted from the Black Claw thugs.
"Hahaha! Look at that, the 'boss' is a crybaby brat?"
"Kekeke... 'Boss'? Puhaha! All that bluffing, and now bawling over dead kids! Exactly his level!"
"Hey, hey! Isn't that guy a total loser? Crying next to his buddies' corpses! Weak-ass punk!"
Their laughter mixed with the crackling tents, screams, searing into Rion's ears.
But before his eyes, only the cold faces of the dead children filled his vision.
Sorrow swiftly turned to blazing rage.
"...I'll kill them."
"...I'll kill you all."
Something began boiling up from Rion's body.
Pounding like a heartbeat, a faint but intense red aura started emanating from his entire form.
Rion slowly rose, turning cold eyes toward the mocking Black Claw members.
"Puhahaha! Done crying now?"
"Aww, want a bottle, little baby?"
They were still pointing and jeering—
When the hand of the frontmost Black Claw member pointing at Rion...
Snap!
Severed cleanly at the wrist and fell.
So sudden and unreal, the man stared blankly at his stump, unable to even scream.
Moments later,
"Gaaahhh!!!"
Mad pain surged, unleashing a wretched scream.
"My arm, my arm!"
"That bastard did it?"
As they panicked and stumbled back, Rion glared with sunken, icy eyes.
Then he spoke.
His voice was soft, but everyone there heard it.
"Today... Black Claw, including Crow."
The red aura whipped around Rion like a storm.
"Will vanish from the slums... without a trace."