…
…..
The South Gate—an unremarkable entrance—leads to a sprawling forest that stretches along the road, offering a shortcut to the heart of the Clovet Kingdom. On ordinary days, residents avoid this area out of fear of the monsters lurking in the woods. Merchants, on the other hand, usually form caravans with at least five guards before passing through.
At the entrance of the “Great Forest,” there is a nearly circular patch of bare earth. Some merchants who prefer not to linger in [Feltero] choose to conduct simple trades here. However, lately, the forest has been echoing with the howls of monsters, and even the greediest, profit-driven merchants have begun to steer clear of this place.
“Ugh, what are we even doing, stuck on these walls all day every day?”
“Shh! If the captain hears you grumbling like that, you’ll be doing hard labor for days and still won’t make up for it.”
“Oh ho? Since when did you become that guy’s lapdog?”
“Hey! There’s a limit to joking around!”
The South Gate is sparsely populated, and the city government has practically abandoned it—simply because it connects to a forest teeming with vicious monsters. They even came to think that letting it fall into disuse might be the wiser decision… After that, the walls began to crumble, and the guards stationed atop them grew lazier by the day, amusing themselves with swordplay and heavy drinking.
A few days ago, after that certain someone’s arrival, not much changed here. If anything, the original guards just felt that more people were coming and going, making the place livelier, so they turned a blind eye and let things slide—
But after that, dark incidents seemed to take root here… Robberies, murders, unidentified creatures—more and more coffins passed through the South Gate, and the guards finally realized something was terribly wrong.
Starting with the first guard who resigned, more and more people (none of them players) began voicing their desire to quit.
“One by one, they leave, and then they vanish without a trace. Sigh… What is this? It’s unbearable.”
The guard who had been recklessly swinging his sword suddenly calmed down, much to the relief of his companion, who had been forced to raise his shield in self-defense.
On the other end of the city, battles raged and refugees wandered homeless, yet they were stuck here, stuck on this wall.
The nobles would never understand that feeling—suppressing his restless emotions, the guard silently gazed at the dense, perilous forest in the distance and let out a soft sigh.
“Yeah… Yeah, I want freedom. Hey, how about we run away together?”
“What are you suddenly saying?! What if someone overhears…”
“If I leave, you—being my shift partner—won’t be able to escape blame either.”
His companion was momentarily speechless. This guard beside him was always a mix of pragmatism and delusion—his wild, imaginative ideas somehow laced with plenty of real-world meaning… Strange, yet oddly approachable.
“Come on, I’m not happy with this place either, but…”
“Honestly?”
“…Ugh, I’m sick of watching those potbellied rich folks strut around all day.”
“See? That’s what I’m talking about! Hey, how many brothers do we have?”
“Roughly counting, including us, maybe eight or nine.”
“And how many would be willing to come with us?”
“You’re already counting me in, huh… I think most would be up for it. They’re all fed up with this life too.”
The guard’s eyes lit up, and he nearly fell off the parapet in his excitement. He immediately rushed to the base of the archer tower to recruit others. His companion let out a deep sigh, paced over to the other tower…
“Sigh… Waiting for our sentence… Waiting… And in the end, it’s all doom anyway. Might as well run away with him. No matter what happens, it’s bound to be freer and more fun than this.”
But the moment he stepped into the archer tower, everything changed—
…
“Sir, this is ‘Hawk’… Yes, she’s arrived.”
[Oh? She’s made it this far and still has the will to push forward? Interesting…]
“Sir, shall I…?”
[Just give her a little resistance. We have plenty of time. The South Gate is still a fair distance from here.]
“Understood, sir. Go, flock of crows—”
…
…..
The shadows of the city dragged on beneath my feet until I finally stepped out of the South Gate, and only then did the darkness reluctantly release me. For a fleeting moment, it felt as if everything had just happened, but the searing pain still spread across my entire body—like chains, like branding irons—keeping me painfully awake.
I stopped beside a few large trees and looked up at the canopy a few meters ahead, nearly blocking out the road.
The lush greenery above didn’t catch my attention—rather, it was those crystalline eyes, like the deep red light beams from warning stations on distant peaks.
They were crows. Their jet-black feathers seemed dull and lusterless at this moment, and what drew my attention was their abnormal size… They were huge—just a bit smaller than a white crane, but that difference alone made them look dangerously imposing.
And that’s all it was—just appearances.
I had no intention of fighting. In fact, I didn’t want to waste any time at all. I simply activated the passive effect of [Grit] to let it take the hits for me.
As for those crows, even as I was about to leave the dense canopy, they showed no sign of attacking. Even after I could no longer see them, they seemed to just sit there silently, watching me closely.
“…Interpret the shadows, and steal this person’s vision.”
The moment I heard those words, I went blind, just as the incantation implied. Honestly, if this were my first time encountering such a situation, I might have panicked for a bit before figuring out a counter—
But now?
“Ugh!” Even without eyes, I could still see.
Using [Soul Sight] to observe the souls around me and sharpening my spatial perception, even a complete amateur at hide-and-seek could easily find their hidden playmates.
Not to mention me…
This person’s attire had no distinguishing features, just like the man himself—utterly unremarkable.
I pulled my hand back after striking his abdomen. Since he was already foaming at the mouth, there was no need for a finishing blow. I didn’t have time to deal with these small fry anyway. They might seem like formidable foes to ordinary people—overwhelming, even—but in my eyes, trash is still trash.
Like clearing waves of mobs in a game, I knocked out one dark-attribute magic user after another in quick succession before finally arriving at the so-called “reception room”—
A vast open space, with a massive forest stretching out on the far end, obviously teeming with countless dangerous monsters.
And the mastermind behind this whole affair was standing right across from me—a tall, thin man with a bald head, an NPC. He had black-and-white hair with bangs falling over his forehead, dressed in a subtly refined nobleman’s outfit, and held a cane topped with a blue-shadowed crystal.
He was too far away, but I had a feeling he’d been smiling ever since I arrived.
I was about to speak, but he beat me to it, calling out loudly:
“Welcome, welcome! Beautiful girl, may the light of the moon forever shine upon your icy face.”
What nonsense was he spouting? I immediately frowned. This guy’s mental state was definitely questionable.
Ignoring him, I tried to walk closer, but the surrounding area filled with annoying sounds… the bubbling of mud, then footsteps? I glanced left and right and found myself surrounded by several men.
I see—they used [Shadow Move]?
And looking more closely, there were even more than that—a whole crowd of them was closing in, shrinking the already circular clearing as if it were a prepared arena.
“Quite a crowd, huh.”
Before I could even finish my thought, the men blocking my path parted, giving me a clear view of that nobleman again.
Though a surge of anger kept urging me to strike, the tense situation forced me to stay calm and think of a strategy—especially because I spotted a few peculiar figures flying in the air.
Aren’t those dragons? Sure, they were just mid-tier small dragons, but there’s no way they should be here. I’m not very familiar with [Clovet], but I do know about the special monsters here—[Clovet] is known for its demi-humans, including dragon-kin, but purebred dragons don’t exist here.
Those few crimson, armored dragons were ridden by their masters, soaring through the air before landing slowly, letting out a synchronized, thunderous roar.
“Dragons?!”
If dragons are involved, I have to consider a lot more—international intervention, the imperial guard from the capital, or perhaps a mercenary group hastily summoned… And then I caught a glimpse of a mark that, even after days, still caused me immense pain—”Beast Guardian,” emblazoned on the dragon ridden by the leader.
“Beast Guardian”—greatly reduces damage taken and lessens impact force… That’s a seriously strong buff.
Clenching my teeth, I straightened up and shouted at the nobleman:
“Hand over Elf and Alek, and also Miss Huihui, who’s gone missing!!”
Hearing my words, he rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment, then, without changing his smile, simply waved his hand to signal his men to back off a little.
“I figured you’d say that. I’ve got them ready for you. But that Miss Huihui you mentioned—I have no idea about her.”
He clapped his hands again, like a signal for something.
Soon, two more men emerged from the shadowy forest, and what made my eyes widen was the sight of Elf and Alek walking out with them… Elf seemed mostly unharmed, though her clothes were different from what she’d worn that morning. But Alek… Alek had lost all the vitality I’d seen in him just moments ago. I… I—
“Alek! Elf! I’m here!” I shouted at them with all my might, a piercing pain spreading through my chest.
But they acted as if they hadn’t heard me—or as if they’d heard but refused to respond… No, no, no, that can’t be… Alek being badly injured is one thing, but why Elf too?! No, no! There’s definitely something fishy going on—they must have done something to them!
I pressed hard against my throbbing head, my face twisting in agony!
“Give them back to me!”
The man simply chuckled in response, slowly rising to his feet, gazing up at the sky and spreading his arms wide.
“Fine! I’ll give them back to you!”
