CHAPTER 287: NEW DAWN [1]

Ryen was still going on about sharing food like he’d invented the concept of generosity, Nora was quietly making sure everyone had their fair share, and Keira was sipping her drink while pretending not to be amused by the chaos.

Normal. Peaceful.

On the surface.

I leaned back against the bench, letting the sun filter through the roses above. From the corner of my eye, I caught the giant and the girl again. The ice cream was gone now, and they’d moved on to a ring toss booth.

The little one was fiercely competitive, jumping up and down each time she missed, while the big guy tossed every ring onto the exact same peg.

"Hey, you’re not even trying!" she yelled, stomping her foot.

"The point of a duel," the giant replied solemnly, "is consistency."

"Consistency doesn’t win you prizes!"

I pressed a hand against my mouth, stifling a laugh. To anyone else, the two of them looked like a mismatched comedy duo, bickering their way through a festival date.

But I knew better.

Those two could level this park in five minutes if they got serious.

"Ah, whatever. Seriously. Go get me some stir-fried noodles," the girl demanded, jabbing her finger toward a food stall.

"I don’t want that. It’s all carbs," the giant replied flatly.

"Who said I’m getting it for you? It’s for me."

"In that case, I should get it."

The banter broke for a moment. The large man paused mid-turn, his head shifting ever so slightly in our direction. His eyes narrowed.

"Ho."

Ah. There it was. Exactly like in the original story.

This monster had only a few hobbies: eating, smashing things, and picking fights with anyone who looked promising. And unfortunately, he’d just found his next target.

"Hey, what are you doing?" the girl hissed, tugging at his sleeve. "I told you to get noodles. Don’t you remember what I said? No causing trouble."

"I’ll just say hello and come back." His lips curled, something between a grin and a threat. "It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone with that kind of potential."

He started toward us—not rushing, not dragging his feet. Just... deliberate.

And that was worse than if he’d charged.

The air shifted. The chatter of the park kept going around us, but I could feel the weight behind his steps, like a predator strolling casually into a flock of birds.

Leona tilted her head. "...Why’s that guy looking this way?"

Ryen, oblivious as ever, was still chewing. "Huh? Maybe he wants food too."

Keira’s hand froze halfway to her mouth. Even she sensed it.

And me? I sat there, pretending I was calm, while every nerve in my body screamed that the scene was about to derail.

The giant stopped right in front of our table, his shadow spilling over the food like a dark curtain.

Up close, he was even bigger—more mountain than man. His shoulders looked wide enough to block the sun if he wanted to.

He glanced at everyone once, then settled his eyes on me.

"You."

...Ah, of course. Straight to me.

Ryen blinked, half a sausage still hanging from his chopsticks. "Huh? Me?"

The man ignored him.

His lips pulled back into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "You’ve got the look. The kind of look that makes my fists itch."

...Thanks, I guess?

Keira tensed, eyes darting between us like she was ready to spring up at any moment. Leona furrowed her brows, confusion and wariness flickering across her face.

And Ryen, bless his oblivious soul, muttered, "Eh? Fists? It’s a park, man. Chill."

I sighed quietly, pinching the bridge of my nose.

Of course. Out of everyone here, the giant had to zero in on me.

"Don’t take it the wrong way," he said, leaning in just close enough that I caught the faint scent of iron and smoke clinging to him. "I just want to test something. One hit. That’s all."

One hit. From this guy.

If he actually meant that, I’d be picking my teeth out of the rose bushes afterward.

Behind him, the girl stomped her foot. "Oi! I said no trouble! Noodles, remember? Noodles!"

But the giant didn’t budge. His gaze was fixed on me, sharp and hungry, like a beast that had finally spotted prey worth chasing.

Of course, from outside I didn’t let any emotions show on my face.

"One hit, huh?"

The giant’s eyes gleamed.

"Yeah. Just one."

I tilted my head. "And what—do I get a prize if I survive? A giant stuffed bear, maybe? Or do I just get the honor of coughing up blood in front of all these roses?"

Keira’s lips twitched like she wanted to laugh but was too nervous to.

Leona, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to strangle me for mouthing off to someone twice my size.

The giant let out a low rumble—half laugh, half growl. "Sharp tongue. I like that. Makes me want to hit you even more."

"Yeah, see, that’s not exactly comforting." I raised a hand as if to stop him, though it was mostly for show. "Listen, big guy, I came here to eat, not to become a human nail for your hammer fists."

His eyes twitched at my response, and just as he was about to snap back, someone stopped him.

...And I knew that someone too.

"Stop it. Don’t be rude to the kids."

Her voice was cool, effortless.

The big guy turned, a little sheepish. "Ah, you’re already here? I was just about to test him. The young one looks pretty good."

She stepped forward, commanding the space around her without even trying.

A woman tall enough to be mistaken for a model, her long, sky-blue hair catching the sunlight like strands of crystal. Sunglasses hid her gaze, but I knew what lay beneath them—piercing golden eyes that had seen countless battles.

The leader of the New Dawn, one of the most dangerous villain alliances in existence.

And she wasn’t just their leader. She was an S-rank talent.

Her real name was Seraphine.

"Test what?" she said lightly, brushing her hair back. "Don’t bother the kids and come on. You look like you’re here to have fun." She turned toward us with a smooth, practiced smile, the kind only liars and politicians could manage. "Ah, forgive him. My companion gets a little carried away when he spots someone with potential. Bad habit."

Then she reached into her clutch bag and pulled out a sleek card, handing it over with a graceful tilt of her wrist.

"If you’re upset, you can reach me here."

I glanced at the card.

Elara Veylen. A-rank hero.

Of course, that was the mask she wore. The name wasn’t real. The rank wasn’t real. Nothing about her introduction was real.

But my friends didn’t know that.

Keira blinked in surprise. Leona straightened, wary but impressed. Even Nora seemed to hesitate.

"We’re a little busy right now," Seraphine—no, Elara—continued smoothly. "If you contact me later, we’ll apologize properly."

Not polite. Not rude. Perfectly in the middle.

She didn’t actually care about us. Not one bit.

She just wanted us to stay out of her way.

And the reason was simple—she didn’t see us as threats. Not to her, not to the New Dawn, not to their plans.

That confidence... it was almost suffocating.

Ryen was the first to break the silence. He swallowed the last bite of his sausage, smacked his lips, and said, "...Wait. Free food and a business card? That’s, like, the best deal ever."

"Idiot," Leona muttered, smacking him lightly on the back of the head. "Do you not feel the pressure coming off these people? They’re not normal."

Ryen rubbed his head, looking genuinely confused. "What? They’re tall and stylish. Doesn’t mean they’re dangerous."

Keira didn’t say anything. Her fingers had tightened around her cup, and I could hear the faint creak of plastic. Her eyes weren’t on Seraphine, though—they were on me, like she was silently asking if I knew what was going on.

I forced a shrug, trying to make it look like I wasn’t sweating bullets inside. "Relax. She said no trouble."

Leona wasn’t buying it. Her jaw was tight, and she leaned slightly forward, one arm subtly angled across the table like she was ready to push Keira or Ryen out of the way if things got ugly.

Nora, who had been quietly watching, spoke up at last. Her voice was calm but edged with something sharp. "You don’t hand out business cards at a park unless you want something."

Her gaze flicked to me, just briefly, before settling on Seraphine again.

"And I don’t like people who smile with their mouths but not their eyes."

That earned her a small laugh from Seraphine. "Sharp one, aren’t you? I like that."

The giant beside her—still radiating that crushing aura—cracked his knuckles like thunderclaps. But he didn’t move. Not unless she told him to.

Seraphine slipped her sunglasses higher up the bridge of her nose, then tilted her head at us like we were a group of children playing dress-up.

"Well then. Keep the card, don’t keep it. It doesn’t matter to me. We’ll meet again if we’re meant to."

She turned on her heel, the giant following like a shadow that could flatten the world if it wanted.

The weight lifted immediately, like someone had unclenched a fist around the park.

Keira finally exhaled and set her cup down. "...Who were they?"

Ryen blinked. "Weird rich people?"

Leona glared at him. "Shut up. That was not normal."

Nora didn’t answer, just folded her arms and kept her eyes in the direction they’d gone.

I leaned back, letting my body relax even though my nerves were still screaming.

"...Just people we don’t want to mess with," I said quietly.

And for the first time all day, the laughter and chatter of the festival didn’t feel comforting anymore.

It felt like background noise to something much bigger closing in.