003 John

“Well, isn’t this my heartless nephew, the one who dared to turn against the uncle who raised him for three years?”

Accompanied by a voice that grated on Kellen’s nerves and even made him feel nauseous, a man appeared before him—a man about thirty-five, standing roughly one meter seventy-five, thin and gaunt. There could be no doubt: the person who immediately triggered both physical and psychological discomfort in Kellen was his cheap uncle, John.

“Let’s go home,” Kellen said, casting a glance at John before withdrawing his gaze. Though he had long planned to teach this man a lesson someday, he had no intention of confronting him now. Instead, he chose to avoid him, taking the little girl’s hand and preparing to leave.

But while Kellen wanted nothing to do with his uncle, John had no intention of letting him go.

“Wait a minute. The rabbit you’re holding looks awfully familiar. Isn’t that the one I caught yesterday? You little brat, how dare you steal my rabbit!”

Whether he simply wanted to bully his nephew or had his eye on the rabbit from the start, John launched his attack.

Kellen had not expected John to be so aggressive; his brows furrowed in displeasure. Yet before he could react, the little girl beside him bristled with anger.

“This is our rabbit, not yours! You can’t touch it!” She spread her arms and stood protectively in front of Kellen, like a mother hen shielding her chick.

“You little brat, get out of my way!” John showed no pity for the young girl, swinging his hand toward her face. Seeing this, Kellen’s eyes reddened with rage. “If you dare lay a finger on her, I’ll cut you down, right here.”

The words, cold and sharp as ice, stunned John. He saw the firewood knife tightly gripped in Kellen’s hand, radiating the fury of a wild beast. It seemed that if John’s hand fell, Kellen would strike without hesitation.

For a moment, his nephew, whom he was used to bullying, seemed like a stranger. John felt a flicker of fear and involuntarily halted his movement.

The situation had reached a turning point. John, intimidated, could easily have been left behind as Kellen took the girl and left.

But during the conflict, a crowd had already gathered nearby, eager for spectacle.

Over the past three days, Kellen had learned enough about the people of this world—and this village in particular. Qualities like kindness and honesty were rare among them.

None of the villagers felt pity for Kellen, who was being bullied. They watched with the detached interest of people enjoying a show. Some even laughed and jeered when John was scared off.

“Well, after getting beaten, Kellen strikes back and manages to scare John!”

“Good for him. A man should be tough. If he’d been fiercer earlier, John wouldn’t have taken all his property.”

“It’s not too late now. If he keeps up this attitude, in a few years, who knows who’ll be taking whose property.”

Whether intentional or not, someone’s comment darkened John’s expression. Thieves are most afraid of their stolen goods being reclaimed. John might have taken Kellen’s inheritance, but he would never allow Kellen to take his.

Under the villagers’ teasing, John’s gaze toward Kellen grew dangerous. Kellen sensed the malice and frowned; he genuinely didn’t want to confront John, knowing his gaunt body might not withstand him.

“If you promise not to target me anymore, I’ll swear before everyone here that I’ll never ask you to return my inheritance,” Kellen offered a compromise.

But his words had no effect. John’s eyes remained dangerous, viewing Kellen as a threat—one he needed to eliminate as soon as possible.

Seeing John’s gaze, not only Kellen realized the gravity of the situation; even the little girl behind him grew anxious, terrified that John would once again leave Kellen badly injured.

The villagers, meanwhile, enjoyed the drama, showing no intention of intervening.

Kellen knew he couldn’t count on anyone’s help. Still, he clung to a shred of hope. They were at the village entrance; surely his uncle, however arrogant and cruel, wouldn’t go too far in broad daylight.

But Kellen underestimated John—and the world’s cruelty.

“Kid, don’t say your uncle never gave you a chance. Give me the rabbit, then leave this village and go to the town. Never set foot here again and I’ll let you go. Otherwise, I’ll break your legs.”

Kellen was stunned. Although John spoke as if he were being reasonable, his actions were nearly forcing Kellen to his death.

This world was nothing like the one Kellen left behind. If he was driven out, he wouldn’t survive a day—either sold by human traffickers or devoured by wild beasts.

His face grew ashen. Clinging to his last hope, he looked to the villagers for help, but John crushed it instantly.

“Don’t bother looking at them. This village is a black-market settlement, hiding in the mountains to evade taxes. There’s not even a village chief here. If we weren’t uncle and nephew, there might be trouble, but as family—and you’re an adult now—our affairs are private. As long as I don’t kill you, nobody will interfere.”

John’s words, along with the villagers’ cold and even gleefully malicious reactions, shattered the last of Kellen’s hope. Never before had he faced the world’s darkness so directly.

“Don’t bully him!” The little girl, seeing Kellen pushed to the brink, spread her hands and stood up to protect him again.

“You little wretch! What business is it of yours? If you say one more word, I’ll sell you off!”

What John didn’t realize was that his words gave Kellen the courage to confront the world’s darkness.

In the face of despair, Kellen suddenly grew calm. He looked at the girl, tightened his grip on the firewood knife, and his eyes flashed cold with murderous intent. His resolve was set.

Yet instead of lunging at John, Kellen put down the knife, forced a miserable expression, and trembling, handed the rabbit to John.

“Uncle, whatever else, we’re family. Take the rabbit. Please, for my father’s sake, spare me.”

The villagers, seeing this, booed and jeered.

“I thought he’d stand up for himself, but he chickened out in the end.”

“He really thinks John would break his legs if he refused? If John were that ruthless, Kellen wouldn’t have survived this long.”

John, meanwhile, relaxed at Kellen’s familiar display of fear. In truth, he had only meant to scare Kellen; he wouldn’t really break his legs. Seeing Kellen’s rebelliousness crushed once more, John smiled smugly, took the rabbit, and began thinking about how to further break Kellen’s spirit.

He failed to notice that as he reached for the rabbit, Kellen’s eyes grew bloodshot, and his expression twisted into a snarl.