As David was walking through the bustling streets, he stopped by an outdoor shop to buy some food. He was surprised to see the shelves nearly empty, as this shop usually had plenty of stock. Curious, he approached the shopkeeper, an elderly woman he recognized, and asked, "Is there a problem? You usually have more products available."
The shopkeeper greeted him warmly. "David, it’s been a while! Haven’t seen you around much lately." She sighed, looking at the sparse shelves. "It’s Kevin, our supplier. He’s gone missing. We haven’t heard from him in days, and I’m worried. He’s not as young as he used to be, you know. I hope nothing bad has happened to him."
David frowned but tried to reassure her. "Kevin's tough. I'm sure he's fine," he said as he picked up an apple, paid for it, and bid the shopkeeper farewell.
As he walked away, biting into the apple, a sudden, thunderous explosion rocked the ground beneath his feet. David staggered for a moment, his eyes widening in shock. The explosion had come from the front gates of the city. Almost immediately, the city's warning horn blared, echoing through the streets - an alert that the city was under attack.
In the distance, he saw smoke rising near the walls, and his stomach twisted as he realized what was happening. Ground-dwelling monsters from the nearby forest had launched an assault on the city. Some of the beasts were throwing strange, volatile ores that exploded on impact, sending fragments and debris flying. The city’s guard knights were already assembling on the walls, preparing to defend against the onslaught, and adventurers, swords drawn and magic ready, sprinted toward the city gates to join the fight.
Without hesitation, David bolted toward the gates, but as he sprinted down the street, he bumped into someone hard. "Sorry!" he muttered, looking up. But as soon as he saw the person - a figure cloaked in a hood that completely concealed their face - his heart skipped a beat. The figure quickly darted away, moving with unnatural speed.
David’s mind raced. He suddenly remembered the rumor he had overheard at the guild yesterday while eating: a shadowy figure always appeared right before the nobleman killing monsters appeard.
"Could that be…?" David’s suspicions deepened, and without a second thought, he began tailing the mysterious figure, keeping a safe distance so as not to be noticed.
He followed the figure through twisting alleys and quiet streets until they arrived at a nobleman's mansion, surrounded by a small, ornate wall. David knew little about this place.
The hooded figure knelt by the wall, muttering something under their breath while pressing a hand to the stone surface. Hidden behind a nearby house, David watched carefully, wondering what they were doing. Then, to his astonishment, he saw the stone wall ripple and melt away, creating an opening just large enough for the figure to slip through. The figure disappeared inside, and within moments, the wall reformed, as if nothing had ever happened.
David’s eyes widened in disbelief. He knew about magic, and though he could use some spells himself, he had never seen anything like this. A spell that could dissolve and repair solid stone? He had never even heard of such a thing.
After witnessing the cloaked figure slip through the wall, David ran to the same spot, frantically inspecting the surface for any sign of the magic that had melted and repaired it. His fingers traced the stone, searching for cracks, a difference in texture - anything. But the wall remained as smooth and unblemished as the rest. Not even the place where the wall had liquefied showed any trace of tampering. It looked exactly like the rest of the centuries-old stone, meaning this wasn't ordinary magic. Normally, such powerful spells would leave marks or subtle magical residue, but here, nothing.
Frustrated but determined, David decided to find another way in. He glanced around the nearby houses and spotted a stack of crates near the mansion's outer wall. He quickly moved toward them, planning to use them to climb over the wall.
Inside the mansion, two nobles, Roderick and Edvard, stood near a large window that overlooked the distant city gates. Smoke and chaos filled the streets below as the city's defenses scrambled to repel the monster attack.
Edvard was in a state of panic, pacing back and forth, his face pale with fear. "The monster is here. The monster has come!" he kept repeating, his voice trembling.
Roderick, who appeared far more composed, turned to Edvard, trying to calm him. "Relax, Edvard. We've been through this." He glanced toward the door and barked, "Maidens! Bring us some fine Vicki wine. We need to relax."
Turning back to Edvard, Roderick spoke with more confidence. "We’re in Ecklein, Edvard. The city of adventurers. We have the strongest walls in the region. If that monster dares to approach, those walls will stop it. And even if they don’t, this city is filled with adventurers eager for a challenge. That beast won’t last five minutes."
Edvard, still jittery but wanting to believe his friend, started to calm down. "You’re right. You’re right... it can’t get through the walls. The adventurers will stop it."
At that moment, the door to their room creaked open, and both men turned, expecting one of Roderick’s maidens to have finally brought the wine. But when Roderick turned fully, his smirk vanished, replaced by shock.
Standing in the doorway was not a servant but the same mysterious cloaked figure David had been following.
Roderick straightened up, his voice filled with authority. "Who are you? Guards!" he bellowed, but the figure remained still, silent for a moment before speaking.
"You can scream all you want, Roderick," the figure said in a calm, female voice. "The guards outside your door are already... taken care of."
Roderick’s face twisted in anger. "Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded.
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The figure slowly removed her hood, revealing the face of a young woman with long, dust-colored hair. Her dark green eyes gleamed with dangerous intent. "So, it wasn’t either of you..." she murmured, her gaze shifting between Roderick and Edvard.
"That means he’s the last one left."
Roderick, his patience snapping, yelled in fury. "I don’t care who you are!" He thrust his hand forward, casting a fireball from his palm, hurling it toward the woman.
The fireball exploded with such force that the windows shattered, sending glass and debris flying across the room. Outside, the guards heard the explosion, and even David, who was scaling the wall, saw the smoke and broken glass as the commotion inside the mansion escalated. The guards rushed through the main gates, heading toward the source of the explosion.
Inside the now-burning room, Roderick and Edvard were unharmed, protected by Edvard’s magical dome shield. Roderick stood tall, laughing mockingly at the woman. "Is that all you’ve got?" he sneered.
But his laughter stopped abruptly as he saw the flames and dust in the room swirling back toward the woman. The fire and debris were being sucked into a magic circle at her outstretched hand. Slowly, the flames coalesced, and the woman stood unharmed, her cold eyes fixed on Roderick.
"My turn," she said with an eerie calmness.
In an instant, she unleashed the fire and debris she had absorbed, sending it roaring back toward Roderick and Edvard. Edvard quickly reformed his dome shield, and both men crouched behind it as the torrent of flames and debris crashed against them.
Edvard, panic returning to his face, looked to Roderick. "What are we going to do?!"
Roderick, his confidence unshaken, chuckled. "Everything is under control."
At that moment, a large section of the ceiling above the woman broke apart as a man descended with a sword aimed directly at her. The woman moved swiftly, dodging the blow just in time to avoid being struck. The man landed with a thud, his sword poised for another attack.
"Now you’ve got a real problem," Roderick said with a grin. "This man is an A-rank adventurer. I hired him specifically for protection. And soon, other B-rank and C-rank adventurers, along with my guards, will come to finish you off." He laughed mockingly again. "If you surrender now, we might let you keep one arm."
The woman, unphased, let out a dark laugh of her own. "You’ll need more than that to stop me."
Her shadow on the floor began to expand, darkening and stretching until something monstrous emerged from it. A giant, humanoid figure in blackened knight's armor, wielding a massive sword, rose from the depths of her shadow. The armored figure stood protectively behind the woman, towering over the A-rank adventurer.
With a simple command from the woman, the monstrous knight charged at the adventurer. Despite his rank and skill, the adventurer barely had time to react. He raised his sword to block the blow, but the force behind the giant's strike was overwhelming. The adventurer was knocked off balance, his feet skidding across the floor.
Before he could cast a defensive spell or gather himself, the armored giant swung its sword again, slicing clean through the adventurer’s weapon and armor. The A-rank adventurer collapsed, his lifeless body hitting the floor with a dull thud. He hadn’t even had the chance to use his magic.
Roderick's confident grin faded into terror.
The woman's laughter echoed in the room as the last breath of the A-rank adventurer left his body. "Your so-called 'A-rank' adventurer didn’t even last a minute," she mocked, her voice dripping with disdain. "I’d say you got scammed, Roderick."
Roderick's face twisted in fury, but his fear was evident. Just as he had dreaded, the door to the chamber burst open, and a group of B-rank and C-rank adventurers, along with his personal guards, stormed inside. Their faces were stern, but they were clearly unnerved by the towering, shadowy knight that stood between them and the woman.
"Kill it!" Roderick bellowed, his voice trembling as he clutched Edvard’s arm. The guards and adventurers launched themselves at the armored monster, spells lighting the air, swords raised high.
Chaos erupted. Blades clanged against the creature’s dark armor, magic bolts crackled, but nothing seemed to phase it. The monster moved with terrifying precision, its massive sword sweeping through the attackers like they were paper. One guard lunged at the beast, only for the monster to crush his shield and armor in a single, brutal swing, sending him crashing against the wall.
A fireball launched by one of the B-rank adventurers hit the knight’s chest, but the spell fizzled harmlessly against the armor, its energy absorbed by the thick, black metal. Another adventurer, a spellcaster, tried casting a lightning spell, hoping the electricity would bypass the armor's defenses. It surged towards the giant knight, lighting up the room, but the electricity was swallowed into the shadows that cloaked the beast’s form.
In desperation, two guards charged at the creature from opposite sides, hoping to catch it off-guard. They swung their weapons in unison, aiming for the monster's unprotected joints. But before they could even get close, the knight spun with surprising speed for its size. Its sword swept through both men, cutting them down instantly, their bodies collapsing in a heap.
Spells continued to fly through the air, but the creature’s black armor absorbed them like a bottomless pit. One of the C-rank adventurers threw an ice spell that froze the floor beneath the knight, causing it to briefly slip. But the monster regained its balance with ease, crushing the frozen floor beneath its feet as it swung its sword into the adventurer, ending his efforts in one brutal strike.
The battle raged on for several minutes, but it was clear the adventurers and guards were outmatched. The floor beneath them, weakened by the endless barrage of spells and heavy strikes, began to crack. The walls of the mansion trembled as the floor gave way with a sickening groan, and the entire room collapsed, sending everyone crashing down to the floor below.
Amidst the debris and falling stone, Roderick and Edvard were protected by Edvard’s quick reflexes. He transformed his magical dome into a full shielded sphere, keeping both of them safe from the collapse. The moment they landed on the ground floor, Roderick looked around frantically, spotting an opening in the ruined mansion wall.
"Get to the backyard!" Roderick shouted, yanking Edvard with him as they sprinted through the rubble.
More guards and adventurers were waiting in the yard, startled by the sudden collapse but quickly rallying around the two nobles. As Roderick and Edvard scrambled behind their defenders, Roderick reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper covered in intricate magical symbols. Without hesitation, he tore it in half. The paper ignited in a blue-green flame, disintegrating into the air with a faint hiss, leaving no trace behind.
Panting, Roderick ordered the new group of defenders to form a protective line in front of him and Edvard. “Hold the line! Do not let them near us!” His voice was shaky but commanding, desperate to regain control.
From the wreckage, dust and smoke billowed into the air, clouding visibility. But through the thick haze, two silhouettes emerged - one, the ominous figure of the woman, and beside her, the hulking shadow knight. The giant’s armor gleamed dully in the dim light, its glowing eyes fixed on the new defenders.
The adventurers shifted nervously but readied themselves for the next battle. Roderick, still clutching Edvard, whispered under his breath, “Whatever comes next, we need to hold until reinforcements arrive.”