The village of Lag has been in constant conflict with the demihumans that inhabit this world. One of the soldiers, Kai, teams up with his friend Manso to take down a gorilla-like monster. However, even the power of friendship isn’t enough—because Kai’s combat skills are absolutely terrible.
Just when Kai is cornered and on the brink of death, he is saved at the last second by Orha, a powerful warrior who has been appointed as the guardian of the village. Blessed by the Valley God, Orha is the strongest among them. He effortlessly cuts down the apes one by one until he finally faces the gorilla guardian—the most powerful of the beasts. You might think this would be a real challenge, but Orha slices it in half within seconds.
With the threat eliminated, the soldiers begin harvesting the gorilla bodies. One of them hands Orha a mysterious orb—something that suspiciously resembles gorilla nuts. Without hesitation, Orha drinks the liquid inside. Thankfully, it’s not what it looks like. These are called God Stones, and the fluid within them is said to greatly enhance spiritual power and physical strength.
Logically, you’d think every soldier should drink from a God Stone to grow stronger. But no—the rules state that only tiny drops are permitted for regular soldiers. The rest of the God Stones must be reserved for guardian bearers like Orha. So, while Orha gets even stronger, the average soldiers—like Kai—remain weak. And no one questions this unfair system.
After returning to the village, a large celebration is held in honor of their victory over the apes. But even the food distribution at the banquet reflects the strict class system. High-status individuals and the children of the chief get lavish plates of meat, while low-ranking soldiers like Kai are left with a small bowl of soup. The soup isn’t terrible, but Kai still longs for the better food—something he won’t taste unless his status rises.
Determined, Kai vows to become stronger. Immediately after the banquet, he heads out to train as hard as he can. But it’s difficult to train on an empty stomach. Starving, he shouts that he wishes he could eat some rice balls. Moments later, Manso arrives and curiously asks what rice balls are. Kai admits he doesn’t really know—the word just suddenly popped into his head one day. Still, he has a feeling rice balls must be delicious.
As they talk, Kai points toward the hill where the village buries its fallen soldiers. One hill is carefully maintained—home to the graves of those with families who still visit them. But right next to it lies another hill, neglected and overgrown, where orphans and those forgotten by society are buried. Kai, being an orphan himself, knows this is where he will end up unless he can make something of his life.
That’s why Kai is so desperate to become stronger—to survive and live a life that matters. He has no choice but to endure tiny food portions and train harder than anyone else. Still, he knows that even hard work might not be enough. What he really needs… is a special ability—something to give him an edge on the battlefield.
At that very moment, in a distant castle, Orha and his sister Jose are walking toward their father’s room
Orha tells Jose that she doesn’t need to concern herself with war briefings, as she’s not expected to fight like he is. Still, Jose insists she wants to help defend the village too. But Orha dismisses her, saying that a daughter of the chief’s family has no need to learn how to fight. No matter how much she pleads, he refuses to allow it.
Jose thinks it’s unfair—just because she’s a girl, she’s forbidden from fighting in battles. As if to rub it in, when she looks out the window, she sees Kai and Manso outside training and having fun. Since Manso is older and stronger, he easily outmatches Kai, who is left on the defensive. Manso tells him that he’ll never get stronger unless he learns to attack, so Kai gives it a try—but leaves himself completely open. Manso takes the chance to knock him down hard, and Kai hits his head on the ground.
As a result, Kai suffers a massive concussion—and then something strange happens. Memories from a past life in Japan suddenly flood into his mind. While flipping through these visions, he distinctly remembers the word magic. However, once he regains consciousness, the word feels foreign again. Magic doesn’t exist in this world—at least, not officially.
This isn’t the first time Kai has experienced unfamiliar memories. In fact, it’s not uncommon in this world for people to see strange visions from another life. But Kai doesn’t think it’s worth mentioning to anyone. Sure, the memories gave him ideas about things like rice balls and magic, but they’re useless here—especially when magic was considered nothing more than a fairy tale in Japan. Still, if he could somehow use magic, he’d be able to stand out in the next battle—and maybe even raise his status.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, the village chief receives a letter from a neighboring village. It warns that their village is under attack by orcs. According to the alliance agreement, the people of Ba are required to send reinforcements immediately. The chief hesitates—his soldiers have barely recovered from the battle against the apes—but Orha argues that it’s a soldier’s duty to march and die for the village. The chief pushes back, reminding him that soldiers are still part of the village and shouldn’t be treated like disposable pawns.
Back at the barracks, Kai struggles to sleep. He can’t stop thinking about the idea of magic. Manso notices something’s off and asks him what’s wrong. Kai says it’s nothing serious—he just had a dream where he could create fire from nothing. Expecting Manso to laugh at him, he’s surprised when Manso actually says he’s heard of something similar. He recalls an old tale about a strange traveler who once visited the village. The man had no kindling to make a fire, but simply raised a finger—and a flame appeared out of thin air.
Kai is stunned—there might actually be a record of someone using magic. Manso warns that it’s just a story, so there’s no proof it’s real. Still, this gives Kai hope. The next day, he finds a secluded spot and begins training. He still doesn’t understand how magic works, but he remembers something about mysterious energy—so he guesses it might be connected to spiritual energy.
He focuses, holds out his finger, and tries to command his spiritual energy to produce fire—but nothing happens. He then attempts to circulate his energy through his God Stones, hoping that will help—but again, nothing works.
Meanwhile, orcs have been spotted just outside the neighboring village. They’ve already killed a dozen soldiers, and the rest quickly mobilize for battle. The troops wait at the forest’s edge to scout the orcs, and once they spot them, the clash begins. The orcs attack immediately. Manso stabs one through the heart, and Kai, eager to prove himself, rushes ahead for a kill. But then, an orc hurls a corpse at him, pinning Kai against a tree.
Another orc, Yor, approaches Kai and is about to strike the final blow—until it’s shot with multiple arrows and finished off by Manso. Furious, Manso scolds Kai for charging in alone and orders him to get back in formation. But Kai has injured his leg—he can’t even walk.
Meanwhile, Orha is decimating the orcs. The enemy quickly realizes they stand no chance against him and begins to flee. But Orha refuses to let them escape—he breaks from the formation and charges after them, abandoning the rest of the soldiers.
This leaves the remaining troops to fight the orcs alone—and without Orha, they’re overwhelmed. The squad leader makes a tough call and orders everyone to scatter so most can survive. But with Kai’s injured leg, he and Manso have no chance of escaping
The orc is approaching fast, but Kai doesn’t want to drag his friends down with him. He stops Manso and tells him to escape without him. Manso doesn’t want to leave Kai behind, but he knows he has no choice. With a heavy heart, he apologizes and promises to visit Kai’s grave. Manso runs off in one direction, while Kai hobbles away in another.
Although Kai knows he’s hopelessly outmatched, he refuses to give up. When he hears the orc closing in, he desperately tries to cast fire magic—but once again, nothing happens. Moments later, the orc throws its blade, and it strikes Kai in the shoulder, severely wounding him. But there’s a small silver lining: the near-death experience causes sparks to fly from Kai‘s fingertips. Maybe he can use magic after all.
Before he can process it, the orc bursts from the bushes and begins strangling him. In that moment of desperation, Kai notices the sparks again—this time, he fully understands what they mean. He points his hand at the orc’s face and, using every ounce of willpower left in his body, summons a blast of fire. The orc screams in agony as flames consume it, and Kai manages to escape its grip.
The orc eventually collapses from the damage, and Kai feels proud—he finally defeated a monster all by himself. But there’s just one problem: his hand is still on fire.
He frantically tries to put out the flames, but it’s no use. His spiritual energy is being consumed at an alarming rate. If he doesn’t stop it, he’ll die of exhaustion. He needs to calm down and think: if spiritual energy is like a dam, then the fire spell opened the floodgates. All he has to do is mentally close the dam.
Easier said than done—especially since the orc is still alive and crawling toward him.
Kai eventually manages to cut off the flow of energy and stop the fire. But by then, the orc has already reached him. Although badly burned, it’s still moving. It picks up Kai, but doesn’t kill him. That’s when Kai realizes—the orc must be blind from the fire and doesn’t realize he’s still alive.
There’s no way he can win another fight in his current state, but if he’s going to die, he wants to take the orc down with him. As the orc walks near a cliff edge, Kai suddenly slashes it across the chest. The two of them fall off the cliff into the river below.
Somehow, Kai survives the fall and drags himself out of the water with his knife still in hand. He spots the orc’s corpse nearby—this time, definitely dead. Knowing he’s still dangerously low on spiritual energy, Kai cuts into the orc’s body and retrieves its God Stone.
Without hesitation, he drinks the entire liquid inside. As the spiritual energy flows back into him, Kai begins to feel alive again. He collapses under a nearby tree to rest. It’s the first time he’s ever consumed a full God Stone, and it seems like his spiritual energy won’t be a problem anymore.
Unfortunately, the wound on his shoulder is still bleeding heavily. He’s convinced he’s going to die out here, but at least he’ll die looking at a beautiful sunset.
Meanwhile, back in the village, the surviving soldiers have returned and are preparing to celebrate their victory over the orcs. But Manso isn’t in the mood for celebration. Another soldier notices his expression and tells him to cheer up. When he asks where Kai is—since the two are usually inseparable—it suddenly hits him: Kai must have died. But instead of offering comfort, he callously tells Manso to forget about Kai, calling him worthless.
That night, Kai sleeps under the tree. By morning, he’s shocked to find that he’s still alive. Not only that—he feels better than ever. His broken leg is healed, and the wound on his shoulder has sealed. While he’s grateful, he’s also confused. Drinking a God Stone should restore energy—but not heal life-threatening injuries overnight.
He looks behind him and notices a stone wall covered in inscriptions. Curious, he tries to get a closer look, but thick ivy blocks the text. Using his fire magic, Kai burns the ivy away—but his power is much stronger than expected. The blast launches him across the valley.
As he regains his footing, Kai catches a glimpse of his reflection in the water—and he’s stunned to see a Divine Crest on his face. This is the mark of a Guardian Bearer. But before he can process it, the crest fades. He assumes it must’ve been his imagination.
Still curious about the stone, he walks back to examine the inscriptions more carefully. Unfortunately, they’re written in a language he doesn’t understand. Giving up for now, he decides to return to his village.
He spots a cliff face that looks climbable and begins scaling it. Just as he reaches for a handhold, his Divine Crest flashes again—and he accidentally crushes the rock with sheer strength.
The rock Kai was holding onto crumbles, and he falls back into the valley. At first, he thinks the stone must’ve been weak—but then he grabs another, only to crush it effortlessly. That’s when it hits him: he’s received a massive power boost from drinking the God Stone. Overjoyed, Kai celebrates his newfound strength.
But his celebration is cut short when he hears a voice whisper, “Go.” Not wanting to discover who or what it was, he quickly starts climbing the cliff at full speed. Once he reaches the top, he’s amazed by how easy it was—and even more thrilled by how powerful he’s become.
Still, Kai begins to wonder: Is this the power of divine protection? The Divine Crest, symbol of a Guardian Bearer, is said to be granted by the Land Gods. But Kai doesn’t remember receiving any blessing—perhaps it happened while he was unconscious. Until he knows for sure, it’s best to keep this a secret from the village.
Back in Lag, Manso has just finished making a grave for Kai—but to his shock, Kai casually walks up, alive and well. Overjoyed, Manso embraces him, and things soon return to normal.
Except this time, Kai is far more capable at his duties. Assigned to plow a small section of the field, he finishes the entire thing with barely a drop of sweat. He panics for a moment, afraid his Divine Crest might be visible, but after checking his reflection in the water, it’s gone. It must only appear when he exerts himself too much—so as long as he doesn’t overdo things, his secret is safe.
Other villagers start asking questions about his sudden strength. Caught off guard, Kai decides to be honest. He reveals that he drank the God Stone of the orc he defeated. Everyone is stunned—ordinary soldiers aren’t allowed to consume full God Stones. But given that Kai was mortally wounded at the time, he had no choice. He even admits to drinking the God Stones of nearly 40 orcs while returning to the village. Now, his strength makes sense. Manso congratulates him for surviving such a harrowing experience.
Meanwhile, Elsa, a young village woman, keeps staring at Kai, prompting her friends to tease her about it.
Elsewhere in the village, Princess Jose visits the storage house to speak with the inventory checker. He informs her that all the grave offerings are prepared, and she can depart for the grave-cleaning whenever she’s ready.
Early the next morning, Kai practices his fire magic, which has noticeably improved. As he trains, Jose approaches and questions him—his actions look suspicious. Since she’s royalty, Kai has no choice but to obey. He explains everything about his fire ability.
Surprisingly, Jose doesn’t seem shocked. She’s heard of people with similar powers, though such individuals usually belong to noble families or are monks. That makes Kai a rare exception—especially since he doesn’t seem the least bit fatigued, even after using a large amount of spiritual energy.
Jose recalls a rumor that Kai became stronger after consuming a large number of God Stones, suggesting he now has a much larger spiritual energy reservoir than the average person. She asks him to train with her, and Kai, having no authority to refuse, agrees.
Soon after, the two are sparring with practice spears. While Kai is far stronger than before, Jose is a Guardian Bearer, so defeating her would require serious effort. But Kai doesn’t want to risk exposing his Divine Crest, so he carefully holds back his power.
After the duel, Kai heads to the well to fetch water. He’s honestly surprised he managed to hold back so well and still compete. That means he’s now so powerful that even a Guardian Bearer like Jose wouldn’t stand a chance if he went all out.
Just then, Jose asks him to bring her water too. As she washes her face, Kai asks if all Guardian Bearers are equally strong. She explains that she’s actually one of the weaker ones—her father and brother are far more powerful. A Guardian Bearer‘s strength depends not only on the protection of their Land God, but also on their personal training. And when it comes to training, Jose admits she’s lacking.
Technically, as a woman, she’s not obligated to fight. But as a Guardian Bearer, she has a sacred duty to protect the people in battle. Strength isn’t just about power—there are deeper responsibilities.
Kai is confused and asks her to elaborate—but before she can, the morning rooster crows. She realizes she’s not supposed to be outside right now and needs to return to the castle before anyone notices her absence.
Before leaving, Kai asks again what she meant about a Guardian Bearer‘s true duty. Though she’d like to explain, it’s against the rules. Instead, she offers him an alternative: if he accompanies her on her upcoming monthly grave-cleaning duty, she’ll explain everything then.
Her Land God is enshrined in Ita Village, and she promises to make the arrangements for Kai to join her there.
Kai agrees to accompany Jose, and a few days later, she departs for a nearby village along with Kai and a small group of soldiers. Their job is to protect Jose during the trip, as the route runs through ape territory. However, the soldiers find it odd that they were suddenly assigned to this task—usually, a different squad handles escort duties for the chief’s daughter.
One soldier even mentions a rumor: apparently, Jose personally requested Kai to come along, which is why their entire unit was chosen. He asks Kai if it’s true, and just as Kai is about to respond, Manso cuts in and tells them to stop teasing. “There’s no way the princess even knows who Kai is,” he scoffs.
Eventually, they arrive at the village—but Kai is shocked to find nothing but ruins. The place was overrun by monsters years ago, forcing the residents to abandon it. Still, a gravestone remains, and it’s their duty to maintain it in the name of the Land God. Sadly, the power of this village’s Land God has weakened so much that the soil has turned completely barren.
Just then, Jose approaches and says she wants to explore the area—and she needs a guard. One of the soldiers immediately volunteers, but to everyone’s surprise, Jose specifically requests Kai instead.
As Kai and Jose walk through the ruined village, they come across a small flower garden. Jose kneels and begins praying. Kai wants to ask what she’s doing, but she quickly instructs him to stay quiet. A soft red aura begins flowing from Jose into the flowers.
When she finishes, she explains that she was praying for the Land God’s grace to gather at the site. This is a special ritual that only Guardian Bearers—those spiritually bound to a Land God—can perform. But because this village was abandoned, its Land God’s power has faded, which is one reason Jose isn’t as strong as her father or brother.
In contrast, the village of Lag thrives thanks to her father’s immense strength. He’s never neglected his training because if he were to grow weak, it could mean the end of the village. While Land Gods grant power to their bearers, that power depends on the bearer’s strength and spiritual potential. That’s why all Guardian Bearers must constantly train and consume God Stones to grow stronger.
Afterward, Kai and Jose return to the others. It’s time to clean the gravestone, so they all descend into the ruins while a few soldiers stay behind to stand guard.
While cleaning the gravestone, Kai takes a closer look—and to his surprise, it’s the same kind of ancient stone he found back in the valley. When he touches the inscription, the text automatically translates in his mind. It mentions the name of the Land God that once protected this place. Intrigued, Kai walks to the other side of the stone to read more, but this time, the words don’t form a coherent sentence. He can understand individual terms like “packed” and “temple,” but they don’t connect logically.
As he mutters to himself in confusion, Jose notices and asks if something’s wrong. Kai is about to answer, but accidentally catches a glimpse of Jose‘s cleavage and quickly looks away, flustered.
Suddenly, a soldier rushes in to report: a group of apes is approaching fast. The group quickly tries to cover up the grave before fleeing, but the apes arrive before they can escape. The captain orders Kai and Manso to escort Jose back to safety while the others hold off the attackers.
However, while fleeing, two apes cut them off. Manso prepares to fight them—but one of the apes stomps through Jose’s flower garden, which she worked so hard to protect. In a burst of rage, she steps forward and shouts that she’ll kill the beast for what it’s done.
The ape hesitates at the sight of Jose’s tattoos, recognizing her status—but when it realizes she lacks actual combat experience and is shaking in fear, it charges. Just as it’s about to strike, Kai slashes it across the chest, saving her.
Then he spots the second ape attacking Manso‘s group. Thinking fast, Kai grabs a nearby axe, strikes the ape in the shoulder, then leaps into the air and drives the blade into its head—killing it instantly.
Everyone is stunned. No one expected Kai to take down two apes by himself.
But Jose is especially shaken. For a brief moment during the fight, she clearly saw the Guardian Bearer tattoos flash across Kai’s face.
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