Shared Sword had returned to Istoria. It wasn’t just a special day for the civilians, but for adventurers too. Being one myself, I felt the surge of excitement well up the movement I saw them. The same rush that I’m certain everyone else had felt when Eren Gardner stepped foot outside the Tower doors.

I want to be stronger! Strong like they are.

My legs carried me through the streets, each step cleared five bricks at a time. My energy had spiked and I went full speed without letting anything slow me down.

The stone rooftop of the smithy peeked over the buildings to my left and my cheeks pulled back as a smile formed. I had the map open in the corner of my eye just to confirm I was going the right way.

I raced through the smithy’s front door and passed her old man in the front.

“Good day, Mister Vasmiir!” I blurted out.

My mouth managed to keep up the same energetic rush that my body had been in, making my words swift and barely understandable.

The older man had his hair tied up in a bun, with oil and dirt all over his clothes. He was clearly busy working on something and barely paid me any mind. He waved his hand, gesturing to the back rooms and then lowered his head back into his work.

I had visited their shop many times and came to understand that he wasn’t a man to waste time. If he wasn’t working on something, he wasn’t awake. Trying to engage in leisurely chats wasn’t exactly something I could have imagined doing with him, even in the polite sense.

Arga opened the hanging curtain to the backroom and stepped out, her hair in a mess as well. She had a mace in her hand that exuded a powerful white shine.

I covered my eyes with my hand,

“Hey… isn't that–?”

A second person stepped out of the room.

“What are you doing here, isn’t your gear fixed up already?” Veldor asked.

I thought I recognised that mace, it was the same one Arga had made for Veldor. It looked different than before, she looked like she was in the process of adjusting its design. My confusion was more directed to Veldor.

“I could have sworn you were at the cemetery last I checked…”

“Come again?” Veldor pressed.

Without realising it, I had spoken my mind again. I waved my hands and dismissed the topic entirely, luckily he didn’t hear me. I would have hated trying to explain the mapping skill and how I was able to track them.

“Did you guys hear?”

Veldor and Arga looked at each other with raised brows.

“The number one guild—Shared Sword—they’ve returned out of the Tower.”

Veldor’s mouth dropped, and a frantic glare shot at me.

“Are you sure it was them, they’ve been gone for something like…3 years, haven’t they?!” He asked with a sceptical side-eye.

“I saw it myself…but not only that.”

My hand hovered over my chest. My heart still hadn’t settled, it had been racing like that since I saw him. It was a feeling I only managed to feel when I had seen Mister Ed fight…the undying urge to improve.

The flame in my chest had grown considerably and a roaring fire had taken its place. I didn’t want it to settle, it was a rush that could never be simulated. I listened to the voice in my chest and spoke without thinking.

“We need to get stronger.”

{User’s desire has been registered. Appropriate action will be enforced}

I didn’t mean to trigger Uriel’s response, I simply spoke from the heart. For some reason, messages from Uriel began pouring out in front of me.

{A quest has been issued}

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

{Desire to grow stronger, not only for yourself but those closest to you}

At first, it looked like the quest I first received when I went into the summoned dungeon but this is…this is much different.

{Quest: A Party’s rise to strength}

{Quest details: Enter the Summoned Dungeon and defeat the Boss}

“The summoned dungeon?”

***

Meanwhile, on the higher floors of the Tower.

A long cloak swept through the corridors of the demon lord's palace and the ends of his shadowy robes encased the floor behind him as he walked.

He stood in front of them and with a hesitant shake, his hands hovered over the surface of the door. Larc pulled his hands away, he turned to retreat but was met face-to-face with an elegant beauty.

“The master already knows of your failure against the humans, I won’t allow you to further upset him.” She barked.

“I wouldn’t dream of it…madame Ilinore.” Larc cowered.

With her guiding him in, Larc opened the large ivory doors and entered the king's chambers. An ominous air crashed through the gap between the doors and brought Larc to his knees.

He had barely taken a step and already felt the pressures of his master's gaze. He did not dare look up but he knew he was there, glaring at him. Larc placed both hands forward on the ground in front of his head and kept his eyes locked on the floor, watching the small puddle build up from his sweat.

“S-sir I am sorry–”

The ominous aura increased and even Ilinore flinched. She knew her place and didn’t dare look up, the king's aura summoned a powerful wind that knocked Larc over onto his back.

“Larc, do you remember how angry I was when Ellios betrayed us and left this Tower for the sake of the humans?”

The simple act of the king's voice sent shivers throughout Larc’s body. He tried answering but the chattering of his teeth barely allowed a sound to escape.

“Y-yes my…l-liege…”

“Then can you even imagine my rage when I found out that one of our own was killed under your care?”

The smooth textures of the pillars within the room shattered, large cracks formed on the walls and little by little it appeared that the entire castle would fall. It was a terrifying display but neither of them was able to move, they feared what he would do more than the falling wreckage.

“Please forgive me, master, the human wasn’t like the others we’d faced! I didn’t expect to find one like him, graced by Ellios’s mark.”

The overwhelming pressure subsided and the king walked to his subject. The end of his tail wrapped around his foot and raised Larc’s chin.

“Did you say, Ellios?”

“Tch! That brat again…” Ilinore commented under her breath.

The demon king’s eyes glanced to the side and Ilinore immediately dropped to one knee, she kept her head as low as possible so as not to disrespect him.

“My apologies, it’s just that…I too ran into trouble with that particular human. He was responsible for preventing the dragon princess's capture.”

“You too, Ilinore?” The demon king's terrifying glow vanished and for a moment, he didn’t resemble the monstrous figure they had just seen.

“Tell me everything you know about this human.”

***

“I see, so traces of Ellios were found on him then.” The king’s tail swayed through the air behind him as he stood deep in thought.

“The boy only managed to beat me because of my projected forms' limited strength, if I were to face him with my real body then I’m sure I could–”

“No, we need him alive.”

The king's words created concern in Ilinore’s face. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“Master, why should we keep that human alive? He killed Eshner, a demon, one of your kind?!”

“Are you challenging my authority?”

“O-of course not…master.” She lowered her head again.

The king extended his hand out and a purple flame sprouted from the air above his palm. It rose to a powerful ball of violet fire.

Ilinore and Larc both watched the majestic spectacle of pure magic control and their eyes twitched with envy of its beauty.

The king turned his head to the wall behind him that the throne faced, and his body followed with a quick snapping motion. He arched his shoulders and took a step forward before pelting the flame against the wall.

The fire shot like a javelin through the room of the castle and crashed through the wall, a massive hole was left from the wreckage of its escape.

The flames continued through the dark space outside the castle and disappeared past the crimson horizon.

A moment passed.

Boom!

An explosion of flames and smoke covered the distance, far into the sky, in the direction the flames had been thrown.

“This is a prison, no matter how powerful I am, I cannot escape. However, I might not have to.”

Chunks of white stone fell from the wrecked wall and created a heavy thud that brought Ilinore to her attention. Both demons straightened their backs out of fright.

“Ellios hasn’t merely left his mark on that human, he’s left his soul with him. Perhaps, I can do the same.”

“Master…why would you want to do that?” Ilinore spoke out gingerly.

“The only creatures free of the Towers' boundaries are the humans. It seems our old friend Ellios has found a rather special human to make use of.”

The king turned to them both and extended out a menacing stare over them.

“By whatever means necessary, bring him to me!”