Hearing these words, Thorian was thoroughly confused. A timed quest this urgent? I haven't heard about anything like that from William in my past life.

Deciding to shake off these thoughts, Thorian responded, "Show me the quest. Let's see just how problematic it is."

Nodding at Thorian's words, Melina handed him the quest parchment.

Queen of Shadows Quest Requirements The leader of the party must possess the Lord Attribute. Team Limit Only 9 individuals can accept this quest. Time Limit 24 hours. Description A malignant force is festering within the heart of Sherwood Forest. The shadows cast by the ancient trees grow unnaturally long and dense, heralding the rise of a sinister presence. Animals, once peaceful, now flee in terror or turn hostile, driven mad by the encroaching darkness. To restore balance and affirm your dominion, you must delve into the creeping shadows and confront the source of this blight before it grows even further. Quest Objectives Investigate the Forest's Depths Traverse the darkened woods to uncover the roots of corruption. The journey will lead you to a series of chasms, each serving as a nest for the Queen's minions. Purge the Spider Nests Within the forest are three corrupted nests, each teeming with monstrous arachnids known as Dark Weavers. These creatures are the Queen's eyes and hands, spreading decay and constructing the web of darkness that suffocates the land. Destroy these nests to weaken the Queen's grip on the forest. Vanquish the Queen of Shadows Deep within the largest chasm lies the heart of corruption—the Queen of Shadows. This formidable entity, a colossal spider shrouded in dark magic, is the architect of the forest's demise. Slaying her will require not only strength but cunning, as her powers are vast and her minions many. Penalty for Failure If the quest is not completed before the time limit, the corruption will reach the village of Wolvendale, destroying important structures and limiting territory functionalities. Rewards Group Rewards Level +2 for each member. Individual Rewards Unknown Skill Crystal.

Reading through the quest description, Thorian scrunched his eyebrows. This certainly hasn't happened in the past. A corruption of this scale and the presence of such a strong monster have never been reported. William of my past life wouldn't have been able to deal with such a threat, and both he and Locksley would have been doomed.

Thinking through this confusing scenario, Thorian could only come to one conclusion. The gods are intervening once again, I'm sure of it. Could this be a result of my own actions, or perhaps Nalia's? Or maybe the cause is something else entirely?

"My lord, as you can see, this matter requires our utmost attention," Melina warned, snapping Thorian back from his thoughts. "If the corruption spreads too far, it will cause irreparable damage to your territory."

"I understand that, and I will take care of it," Thorian nodded, his gaze still distant with thought. He then turned back to Melina and inquired, "But I must ask you, since you are more familiar with these matters than I am, is this some form of godly interference?"

Melina remained silent for a few seconds, biting her thumb before responding, "I cannot say much about the plans of the gods, my lord, but it is indeed the result of their interference. What I can say, though, is that the gods do not like to be bored and would do anything to reignite their interest."

Hearing those words, Thorian sighed. What use is there to be surprised now? I already knew this was how the gods operate, viewing us like pieces of entertainment. The fact that I have grown so strong that nothing in this region could threaten me anymore most certainly did not sit well with them.

"Lord Thorian, is something troubling you?" William inquired, glancing back at Thorian.

"A timed quest has been released," Thorian explained. "I need to gather my men to tackle it."

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"A timed quest?" William echoed. "If you wish, we can assist you with it."

After a moment of thought, Thorian saw a great opportunity for William and Tristan to familiarize themselves with his men. Yet, the danger promised by the quest worried him. "You can join us, but you need to ensure you're defensive. Since we're dealing with strong monsters, you must be vigilant at all times."

"The risks are most certainly clear to me," William responded with a smile. "But a life spent hiding from danger is no life at all."

Chuckling at William's response, Thorian looked at Tristan. "And what about you, young man? Will you return to Locksley, or would you like to tour around the village?"

"I would prefer neither," Tristan shook his head, then looked at William. "If my father is going with you, then I don't want to be left out."

William chuckled at his son's words, while Thorian simply smiled. "If that's your wish, then so be it. You can stay around here for now, while I bring in my strongest fighters."

With those words, Thorian made his way out of the Village Hall. By the door, he found Alacritas and Cassia waiting. "Alacritas, there's a matter I need you to address."

"Your wish is my command, my lord," Alacritas bowed lightly.

"I've been informed of a timed quest and a deep corruption seeping into the forest from some sort of chasms," Thorian explained. "I want you to scout the area around the village and look for signs of this corruption. Do not engage with whatever is causing it; just bring me the information as soon as possible."

"As you wish, my lord," Alacritas nodded before gesturing for Cassia to follow him. The two then immediately disappeared in a flash.

With the scouting party on the move, Thorian roamed around the village until he found Nox playing with Brix. After informing him of the situation, Thorian went on to gather Forlune, Zogarth, Ventus, Ifrit, and Aqua in front of the Village Hall.

"This is certainly an interesting development," Forlune chuckled as he entered the Village Hall. "To think that there are still strong monsters hidden within this forest. I had resigned myself to the fate of only feeling the thrill of a challenge from dungeons and the abyss."

Ventus cracked his knuckles, wearing a wide smile. "It was about time we got more interesting quests too. Those daily ones were getting so dull I was debating whether it was worth doing them at all."

Hearing these comments, Thorian simply smiled. "Rare quests like these become more available as territories grow and expand, so you can expect more of them in the future. As for strong monsters roaming the world, they are in abundance. The world is far more expansive than this simple forest, with some areas so dangerous that stepping foot in them would mean being obliterated by creatures from your worst nightmares."

At those words, William smiled. "It's ironic that you speak of such places, Lord Thorian. For any normal human, this forest itself would have been one of those areas."

At this comment, Thorian raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "You're correct. If I were any normal monster, Sherwood would have certainly been off-limits for humans." He then looked at the rest of the party before changing the subject. "In any case, I want you all to accept the timed quest while we wait for Alacritas to return with the necessary information."

Melina distributed the quests to everyone present. For Zogarth, who could not enter the small building, Melina walked outside to hand him the quest parchment. Afterward, Thorian outlined his plan. "Since there are three chasms that we need to clear of these Dark Weavers, we'll split ourselves into three separate groups." He then thought for a moment before assigning the teams. "The first group will consist of myself, Nox, and William. The second will include Forlune, Aqua, and Tristan. The final one will be Zogarth, Ventus, and Ifrit."

Forlune, intrigued, asked, "My lord, what about the queen spider? Will you be challenging her with your group alone?"

"It depends on her strength," Thorian explained. "But the best action is for your groups to finish clearing your chasms as quickly as possible before joining ours. Then, we can confront the queen as a full team."

"I don’t know who this spider queen is, but I don’t envy her," Ventus said, stretching his arms. "Facing our combined strength would surely feel unfair. She wouldn’t even have time to counterattack."

"Serves her right for causing such a mess in our forest," Ifrit added with a chuckle. "And she's arrived just in time for me to showcase my abilities. I didn’t get to do much against Nalia. I'm still upset about that!"

Hearing this, Ventus laughed. "You had your chance to blast her when we caught Nalia in the Ice Palace. It’s your fault for not seizing the opportuni—Ouch!"

Before Ventus could continue, Ifrit pinched his cheeks and stretched them playfully. "I'm not sticking with you just to be an annoying little thing. When I complain, just listen and nod, got it?"

"Yesh, I undewstand. Pwease stop meshing wif me," Ventus managed to say, his words muffled.

Both Nox and Thorian chuckled at the scene, while William laughed heartily. "This really reminds me of how my men joked with each other while we were at war." He then looked at Thorian and said, "The more I interact with your people, the more I see that you are just like us. It's truly heartening."

"Monsters are as different and complex as humans," Thorian explained. "You cannot make assumptions without first understanding the other side."

Nodding at Thorian's words, the group made their way outside of the Hall and waited for Alacritas's return. After twenty minutes, the two silver-furred assassins reappeared.

"My lord, I believe we have found the source of the corruption," Alacritas reported. "About three kilometers southeast of the village, we discovered that the Thumpalopes, Rabarians, Goblins, and Thri-kreens are all enraged and in a maddened state. They're fighting and killing each other without any regard for their lives. The area is also filled with blackened trees, and the ground is covered with this black soot."

"It seems like you've found the right place," Thorian smiled, cracking his knuckles. He then turned toward the rest of the team and said, "Well, it's time to show these spiders who the real rulers of this forest are."