CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: WIDE BEAUTIFUL SMILE

Chapter 51 — Wide beautiful smile

After his little transformation, Kaden did exactly what he said he would.

He went straight to the Tycoon’s Merchants without wasting another second—his only goal was to find a mission where he could die beautifully.

And by beautifully, of course, he meant acquiring a new and interesting Fragment.

So, upon arrival, he walked directly to the mission board. Unsurprisingly, the missions were sorted by difficulty.

But these weren’t arbitrary rankings—they were tied to the standard path every awakened being, in either world, had to walk if they wished to evolve someday.

Meaning:

Awakened, Intermediate, and Master.

There were higher ranks—Grandmaster, and maybe even beyond—but Kaden didn’t see any mission of that level on the board. And honestly?

He didn’t care.

Because Master-level alone would be more than enough to kill him a hundred times over.

So Grandmaster?

’Forget about it.’ Kaden thought, before focusing again on the list in front of him.

He was deeply concentrated. Zoned in. Completely ignoring everything happening around him.

And after a few minutes of combing through the board, Kaden finally found a mission.

A weird one, sure—but one that sparked his interest immediately.

[Mission: Bring one of the hands of the Dreadthorn Bear.]

[Difficulty: Intermediate ~ Master]

[Reward: One artifact forged by the Forger Blacksmith Smith. Additional rewards possible if you bring the entire body.]

[Time limit: One month]

Kaden read through the mission slowly, taking in every word.

Not because of the target. Not even because of the time limit.

But because of the reward.

A Forger blacksmith.

That title wasn’t some fancy name—it was a realm. A level of craftsmanship that very few blacksmiths ever achieved in their lifetime.

To get one of their artifacts...

’I can’t pass this up.’ Kaden thought firmly.

But even as he resolved to take it, a question lingered in the back of his mind—

Why hadn’t anyone else taken this mission?

He didn’t get the time to think further.

Because suddenly, instinct flared in his chest.

Someone was staring at him.

Hard.

He snapped out of his focused state, perception expanding outward—and immediately, his expression shifted into a deep frown.

There were many gazes on him. But that wasn’t what unsettled him.

What bothered him...

Was one particular gaze.

He turned his head.

And his blood-red eyes locked onto a pair of radiant silver ones.

’No way in hell...?’

"Kaden! I’ve missed you so much!"

Meris’s voice echoed through the entire hall—loud, clear, and unashamed.

Everyone froze.

Every single person turned to look at Kaden, as if only just realizing he was there at all. And their eyes widened further at Meris’s declaration.

"Am I dreaming?" one guy muttered, stunned.

"Who the hell is he...? How can the purple-haired goddess talk to him like that?" another whispered.

The hall buzzed instantly, whispers rippling in every direction. Everyone wanted to know—who was this red-eyed stranger who knew the Elamin heiress?

Even Lisa, standing behind her desk, was shocked.

Her brown eyes flicked between Meris and Kaden with disbelief.

She couldn’t believe that the young mistress of the Elamin clan knew that guy.

At first, Lisa felt a pang of intimidation.

But quickly... that emotion morphed.

’He’s a big fish,’ she thought, almost trembling with excitement.

If Meris knew him and spoke like that to him—then Kaden wasn’t just anyone.

And that meant one thing for Lisa,

She had to get close to him.

But Kaden didn’t care about any of that.

His focus was now completely locked onto one person.

Kenan.

The heat in the room was rising. Subtle, nearly imperceptible—but not to Kaden. His perception caught it all. And with one look into Kenan’s dark eyes, he knew—

Trouble.

It was written all over him.

And then, just to make things worse—

Meris rushed up to Kaden and, without hesitation, grabbed his hands with both of hers. Just like she had done the first time they met.

Her eyes sparkled.

"You didn’t forget your promise, did you?"

Kaden almost answered no. Almost told her to back off. But he stopped himself.

Because he had given his word.

And it didn’t matter that the situation had changed. It didn’t matter that his current state was far from ideal.

A Warborn keeps his word.

Even if he ends up regretting it.

That’s the burden his name gave him.

That’s the burden he chose to carry.

So he sighed—quietly, internally—and replied,

"I didn’t forget."

Meris’s face lit up instantly.

"Perfect! I’ve prepared everything. I even found a nice spot just earlier. And if you want, I can reserve an entire floor so no one disturbs us."

Her smile was bright and blinding.

And the entire hall watched in disbelief.

"Bro, slap me," one guy murmured.

"No. You slap me," another whispered, unable to look away.

The hall could barely process it.

Meris Elamin—the cold, mischievous, unpredictable heiress—acting like this for a guy?

It was shocking.

Meanwhile, Kenan was spiraling.

Meris had never acted like this with him. She was either cold or teasing—but never... like this. Never to him.

And finally, he turned his attention to Kaden.

He looked closer.

Black hair. Red eyes...

Pause.

Black hair. Red eyes...?

Those features tickled something in the back of his mind—but the connection refused to form.

And before he could dig deeper—

"So let’s go!" Meris said eagerly. "Just give me a bit of time to get ready. Five minutes! No—ten! Hmm... maybe fifteen? Actually, I think... thirty minutes. Yes! Thirty will be fine!"

She nodded, trying to convince herself.

Kaden stared at her in silence, blinking slowly.

"...Fine. I’ll take this mission in the meantime."

Before she could answer, he gently pulled his hands from hers and walked straight toward Lisa—who was already beaming.

"Hello! Sir Kaden, it’s great to see you again!" she chirped, voice filled with enthusiasm.

But just as Meris was about to turn and prepare—

She paused.

And turned back.

Her silver eyes locked onto Lisa.

And in that moment?

They were nothing like the ones that had looked at Kaden with joy.

They were cold, lifeless.

Lisa froze.

Something primal made her look up—and when she did, she wished she hadn’t.

Meris didn’t speak.

She didn’t have to.

Her gaze alone screamed the message:

"Continue... and you’ll die."

Then, she turned and walked off to prepare.

Kaden had noticed it all.

His perception was wide open, and to say he was disturbed... would be putting it mildly.

He truly couldn’t figure her out.

Meris Elamin was a problem.

But more than anything...

He didn’t understand why she was so fixated on him.

’What a bother...’ Kaden thought, sighing internally as he turned back to Lisa.

"Confirm the mission for me."

Lisa, still shaken, nodded quickly. But as she did...

A new flame sparked in her heart.

’You want him too?’ she thought, glancing at the direction Meris had disappeared.

’Fine. You just made me want him even more.’

As for Meris?

She wasn’t stupid.

She wouldn’t touch a Tycoon’s Merchant employee.

Even as a noble, there were lines you didn’t cross.

While all three of them were deep in their thoughts—

Kenan stood silently by the exit, watching the entire scene with cold eyes.

He felt humiliated, discarded.

But he didn’t say a word.

He just walked out, his hands clenching tightly.

Kaden noticed.

And though he didn’t say anything, he understood.

He knew where trouble was coming from.

And he knew—

Kenan was trouble.

And once again...

’Fucking hell...’

Kaden was really getting used to saying that.

—End of Chapter 51—