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The next morning began with the start of the arena’s repairs. Willo and a few other seasoned hunters were deep in conversation with the announcer in the underground maze.
The announcer disclosed that he wasn’t one of the arena’s founders but the brother of one of them. Even the founders weren’t the original masterminds behind this business; it was initiated by another man, appearing to be in his early thirties.
As part of maintaining secrecy, the staff, including the announcer, had to keep their identities hidden from the crowd. Their uniforms made them easily recognizable while collecting entry fees.
Since Willo and his group agreed to become the arena’s official fighters—meaning they would remain in Veledot for any scheduled matches—they were now granted access to previously restricted areas of the underground maze and could get to know the announcer better.
“So, your name is Edward?” Willo asked as they walked together.
“That’s right. I moved here from a nearby city to the northwest a few years ago with my brother,” Edward replied with a smile, now unmasked with his hands behind his back.
“Where is he now, along with the other founders?” Willo questioned.
“They left with the man who supplied them with illegal mana weapons,” Edward explained as they emerged into the underground stadium, the sounds of reconstruction echoing through the place. “I have no idea where they went, but they put me in charge of the arena. It’s been about five months now.”
Willo noted that this was around the same time rumors of arena fighters dying began to spread.
“You’re pretty intense with all those death matches,” Willo remarked.
Edward chuckled softly. “The first death was an accident. Back then, the audience and I were both uncomfortable with it.”
He paused, causing the group to halt and look back at him. “But that man returned after the match, arguing that people just weren’t accustomed to the raw brutality of the fights. He claimed that since hunters die fighting monsters all the time, showing that reality would make the arena more authentic.”
“So you started organizing death matches,” Willo stated.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Edward’s expression was filled with regret.
Talking with Edward, Willo realized he wasn’t the true mastermind here. If anything, he was just a well-meaning guy, trying to keep his brother’s business afloat.
“We were trying to find a passageway to your balcony for quite a while. Care to share where the entrance is?” Willo shifted the conversation.
Edward laughed lightly, amusement evident in his voice. “I figured as much. But the entrance is only accessible by me.”
“How so? Is it locked and only you have the key?” Willo pressed.
Edward shook his head. “No, it’s hidden within the palace walls, so only those with permission can access it. That man—the one behind all this—is a close acquaintance of the king.”
Willo’s curiosity sparked. “Wait, you’re allowed inside?”
“Kind of. I’m permitted up to the entrance, but not any further into the palace. Just the outside area near the entrance,” Edward explained.
“Did you see where they took the monsters’ corpses?” Willo inquired.
“The monsters’ corpses?” Edward echoed, looking up thoughtfully. “I saw them moving those deeper inside, but not into the palace building itself.”
Willo nodded, understanding that some of the larger monsters wouldn’t fit through the palace doors.
“So you don’t know where they end up?”
Edward shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
Willo sighed, frustrated. He had hoped for more information.
“…But,” Edward added, drawing Willo’s attention back. “I could try to spy on them for you.”
“Are you sure about that? You’d be defying the king,” Willo cautioned.
“I’m aware. If this arena were in any other region, I’d have been arrested by now for those death matches. I suspect the king was also influenced by that man,” Edward said with a smile. “I might not be the smartest guy around here, but even I can see that things are getting worse.”
Willo was taken aback. He had assumed Edward was committed to the arena’s operations, but it seemed there was more going on in his mind. On one hand, Edward saw the arena as a legacy from his brother; on the other, he understood that he was indirectly responsible for people’s deaths.
“So who is this man, really?” Willo asked. “If he’s the true mastermind, we might be able to get the location of the mana weapon factory from him too.”
Edward’s smile vanished. “We don’t know much about him. We don’t know where he is, when he’ll appear, or even how he arrives. It’s like he just materializes out of thin air every time he meets me.”
Willo was intrigued by Edward’s vague description. “What about his name? Do you at least know that?”
“I do,” Edward replied. “Though I’m not sure it’s real. He calls himself Theodore.”
The name was unfamiliar to Willo, who had spent years in the western region. The other hunters exchanged puzzled looks, equally baffled.
Who was this Theodore?
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At the alchemist workshop, Renn remained in bed in the nursing room. Quin, eager to assist his father with the investigation, wanted to leave, and Yufi was determined to accompany him. Renn assured them she could manage on her own.
Eventually, Quin and Yufi agreed to leave Renn in the care of the workshop staff, though they checked in on her several times throughout the day. They reassured her that they’d continue spending the night in the nursing room with her, just to be safe.
Later that evening, after returning from their investigation, Quin and Yufi updated Renn on the current situation and their next steps. The plan was for Edward to infiltrate the palace. Since Edward hadn’t yet revealed his shift in arena operations to the outsiders, he could still pose as if he was working with them.
Edward planned to use Theodore’s name as leverage to gain access to the palace’s deeper sections, where the guards had been transporting the monster corpses.
“Will he go alone?” Renn asked, sipping the fruit juice Yufi had brought her while still lying in bed.
“Looks like it,” Quin replied.
“We can’t go into the palace ourselves. It has to be him,” Yufi added. “We’re just outsiders, after all.”
Renn felt the weight of responsibility settling on her. If this Theodore was truly manipulating the king, then maybe the king wasn’t evil himself. If she could only reach him, maybe she could talk to him...
“Tomorrow,” Renn began, “I’ll go to the palace.”
“But why? They’re not going to let you in,” Quin responded.
After spending so much time together, Renn finally decided to reveal the truth to Quin and Yufi — that she was, in fact, Garland’s descendant. To prove it, she would use the Mana scanner at the workshop to show them the results.
“No way…” Yufi muttered, her eyes fixed on the screen of the mana scanner held by the alchemist they’d asked to examine Renn.
“I… had no idea,” Quin added, his usual stoic demeanor cracking with a hint of shock. “So this is what you’ve been keeping from us?”
Renn nodded slowly. “Yeah, sorry about that. I just didn’t want to casually mention it. Even though this might not necessarily mean I’m royalty, I want to talk to the king… about my parents.”
Seeing his role complete, the alchemist excused himself from the nursing room, leaving the trio alone.
“We understand,” Quin said as he rose from his seat. “We’ll go with you to the palace tomorrow.”
“Yeah! And if they won’t let us in, we can always break in, right?” Yufi added with a mischievous grin.
“I-I don’t think so, Yufi,” Renn replied, stifling a laugh before smiling. “Thanks, you two.”
With their plan for tomorrow settled, the trio prepared for the next steps. Meanwhile, Edward had already begun his infiltration.
“…Alright…” Edward muttered under his breath as he adjusted the black masquerade mask on his face, hidden behind a building near the palace entrance.
After double-checking his attire, he confidently approached the palace guards—the ones tasked with inspecting the monsters and distributing bounties to the hunters.
“Evening, fellas! Hard at work, as always, I see.” Edward greeted them with a cheerful wave, instantly drawing their attention.
“Ah, it’s you. I heard the arena took some damage, didn’t it?” one of the guards asked, his tone laced with skepticism.
“That’s right,” Edward nodded. “But I’m here for more than just arena business tonight. Theodore granted me permission to take a little tour—specifically, where the monster corpses are sent.”
The guards exchanged puzzled glances, clearly uncertain.
“You sure about that?” one of them asked, raising an eyebrow.
Edward responded without missing a beat, “Quite sure. I’m the one who suggested to Theodore that we ask the king for stronger monsters to use in the arena. After all, with the king’s power, he could easily order hunters to bring back some of the best beasts alive.”
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He delivered his lie with smooth confidence, his calm demeanor making it all the more convincing.
“We haven’t seen Theodore around lately,” one of the guards remarked.
“Haven’t we all?” Edward countered quickly. “He was impressed after the last match, so he paid me another visit. Now, if you don’t mind, time’s ticking, and I don’t have all night.”
With an air of urgency, Edward pressed his point. His calm, composed delivery sold the lie flawlessly, leaving the guards none the wiser.
After a brief, tense silence, one of the guards finally gave in. “Alright, fine. Follow the guys posted at each checkpoint.”
The guards stepped aside, granting Edward passage. His lie had succeeded, but this was only the first step in his infiltration—and his quest for redemption had only just begun.
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Inside the palace walls, Edward followed the guards through each checkpoint. Though they questioned his presence, their skepticism faded with the assumption that he’d been cleared at the entrance.
Eventually, they reached another entrance leading underground—this one far larger than the arena’s. It was wide enough for monstrous beasts to pass through, clearly designed for the transportation of the corpses.
Edward kept his cool as he descended, the slope beneath him winding in a loose spiral, large enough for wooden carts to pass without trouble. The path seemed to snake around the entire underground of the palace, implying just how massive the area was. He couldn’t help but wonder if this had been built before the king’s obsession with monsters or if it had been part of Theodore’s influence all along.
The slope continued downward for an unnerving length. Edward passed lines of guards—one group pushing carts loaded with monster corpses, another returning with empty ones. Despite sticking out like a sore thumb, he pressed on, masking his anxiety.
At last, he arrived at the entrance to a grand hall. Several individuals stood guard, dressed in uniforms that looked strikingly familiar—like scholars or researchers. They weren’t ordinary guards.
“What are you doing here?” one of the scholars asked, his eyes narrowing as Edward approached.
Edward forced a smile. “Ah, greetings! Theodore sent me to take a look. Apparently, I’ve been pestering him about sparing some of these monsters for the arena, and he thought it would shut me up if I saw what was so important about all this.”
The scholar raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Theodore said that, did he?”
“Indeed!” Edward replied, his voice as bright and confident as he could muster.
“Well then, let’s ask him, shall we?”
“Eh?”
Without hesitation, the scholar turned and called out, “Theodore! Did you send someone down here?”
Edward’s heart plummeted. Theodore was here? How long had he been? Panic surged through Edward—this was bad. Very bad.
“Hm? Someone’s here?” A male voice echoed from deep within the dark hall, faint footsteps growing louder as they approached.
The hall was enormous, easily as large as the entire underground arena, though it was eerily empty save for the towering pillars supporting the ceiling. The lighting was dim, casting long shadows that obscured the far corners of the space. Edward couldn’t make out the ceiling or the far side of the hall, swallowed by darkness. However, scattered ahead were faint glowing lights—likely Mana containers or devices, flickering in the gloom.
Out of the shadows stepped a figure, his red eyes catching the faint light. He was a man with short dark hair, dressed sharply in a suit, though an overcoat gave him a scholarly air. It was unmistakably Theodore.
“Ah, isn’t that Edward from the arena?” Theodore’s voice was friendly, a slight smile on his face.
“T-Theodore…” Edward stammered, his mind racing.
“This guy claims you sent him down here to check out the project,” the scholar beside him interjected.
This was it. Edward knew he’d slipped up. He hadn’t even glimpsed what lay deeper in the hall, but the weight of his decisions bore down on him. Maybe this was how things were supposed to end for him. He had come here seeking redemption, after all—atonement for the blood he’d helped spill.
“Of course! How could I forget?” Theodore’s voice snapped Edward out of his grim thoughts.
The scholar raised an eyebrow but seemed satisfied. “Oh, alright then.” He moved aside, pushing the carts of monster corpses deeper into the hall.
Edward’s pulse quickened in confusion. What was Theodore playing at? Why would he cover for him?
“You look pale,” Theodore observed, his tone almost teasing. “If you’re so curious, come along. Let’s take a look.”
With that, Theodore turned and began walking back into the shadows, beckoning Edward to follow. But Edward hesitated, something gnawing at him.
“Why… did you lie for me?” Edward asked, his voice unsteady.
“Lie?” Theodore chuckled, turning his head slightly. “Thanks to your cooperation, we’ve kept those ‘heroic’ hunters occupied with your arena matches long enough. What harm is there in letting you peek at our little project as a reward?”
Edward clenched his fists. He hated this. The thought of being thanked for overseeing death matches—of helping distract people while horrors were carried out behind the scenes—made him sick. And yet, Theodore seemed so calm, so confident.
“If that’s the case… then lead the way.” Edward finally spoke, stepping forward into the hall, though a chill ran down his spine. He couldn’t ask too many questions—not if he wanted to keep Theodore from changing his mind.
The dark hall buzzed with a constant hum—the kind that comes from machines running in an otherwise still space. Every sound, from the scholars’ murmured conversations to the soft shuffle of footsteps, seemed amplified, filling the eerie silence with an unsettling clarity.
In the distance, a faint glow pierced the darkness. The brightness was out of place, hidden by the vastness of the hall and the lack of other light sources, almost as if it had been swallowed by the shadows until now.
Edward was momentarily struck by awe. This was a laboratory, buried deep within the palace walls. Judging by the architecture, they must have excavated part of the palace’s foundations to allow easier transport of the monster corpses from the surface. But what had they been working on here all this time?
A cyan light drew his focus. Massive glass tubes lined the hall, filled with a bubbling cyan liquid. As Edward’s eyes adjusted, he realized there were multiple tubes, arranged in neat rows, each emitting the same eerie glow. He couldn’t tell if the liquid itself was cyan or if it was simply the light playing tricks on him.
Thick, gray cables snaked from one tube to the next, linking them in a seamless chain. Through the cables’ transparent sections, faint pulses of light flickered, moving from tube to tube like a current of energy.
Scholars worked diligently, using catalysts with translucent arms—similar to the ones Charlotte had wielded—to hoist the massive monster corpses into the tubes. For creatures too large, the scholars employed catalysts with shimmering blades, dismembering the bodies before placing the pieces inside.
As Edward moved deeper into the hall, the glow from the tubes illuminated the area, revealing the chamber’s end. There, a final, colossal glass tube stood, towering so high its top disappeared into the shadows above. Inside the tube floated a massive lump of dark crimson flesh, suspended in the bubbling cyan liquid, its sheer size dwarfing everything else in the room.
“What… what is this thing?” Edward muttered, his gaze fixed on the grotesque mass inside the giant tube. Theodore led the way, his hands casually tucked into his overcoat pockets as he strolled ahead. Edward’s eyes followed the thick gray cables, noticing how they connected each smaller tube to the massive one, feeding into the monstrosity within.
“We’re conducting an experiment,” Theodore replied, his tone calm, almost indifferent. “It requires a vast amount of Mana, as you can see.”
Edward’s eyes scanned the bizarre scene. He was no alchemist, and this entire Mana-infused setup seemed utterly alien to him. His pulse quickened.
“What kind of experiment?” Edward asked, his voice betraying a hint of unease as he looked back to the giant glass tube.
“We’re studying the birth of monsters,” Theodore explained. “We’ve been collecting bodies with their Mana still intact and funneling that Mana into a single entity, to see if it will evolve into something… unique.”
Edward’s mind raced as his gaze returned to the dark, pulsating lump of crimson flesh suspended in the tube. “That… that’s supposed to be a monster? It looks like a… mess.”
“Of course! It’s in a cocoon-like phase,” Theodore explained with a faint smile. “All monsters go through something like this when they transform from mere animals. The change is usually sudden, but here… we’re forcing it.”
The reality began to sink in. This giant lump of flesh was alive. Edward’s stomach churned at the thought. Could something this massive, this monstrous, truly come to life?
Theodore walked a few steps ahead, his voice echoing through the dimly lit hall. “It’s almost ready. We’re just pumping it full of Mana, accelerating its final phase. In a few days, it’ll be complete.”
“And… what happens then?” Edward’s question hung in the air.
Theodore’s smile remained, never wavering. “Then, the king will send it to invade neighboring regions. He will become the first ruler of the Mainland with this monster under his command.”
Edward felt a surge of cold terror wash over him. But as he glanced around, none of the scholars seemed surprised. They moved about their tasks with detached professionalism, completely indifferent to the nightmarish reality unfolding before them.
“That’s crazy!” Edward burst out, his composure finally cracking in front of Theodore.
“It’s an experiment,” Theodore replied calmly. “Though, I must admit, His Majesty is rather eager to see how it turns out. Quite the ambition, wouldn’t you say?”
Edward’s thoughts raced. He was standing at the heart of a project that could threaten the entire Mainland. The king of Veledot was playing with forces that could spark a war between the western region and the rest of the continent. He had to get out of here—get word to Willo and the others before it was too late.
Taking a cautious step back, Edward’s gaze lingered on the grotesque lump of flesh floating in the tube.
Noticing his retreat, Theodore’s smile widened slightly. “Leaving already? That’s fine. I can understand why.”
Edward’s voice wavered. “Yes… I’ve seen enough. I’ll be on my way.”
As he turned to leave, Theodore called out one last time. “Better hurry! I doubt even Willo, the famous hunter, could take this one down.”
Edward froze for a moment but didn’t dare turn back. Without another word, he resumed his walk, making his way out of the dark hall, up the slope, and back to the palace surface.
Theodore knew. He’d known all along that Edward was there to spy on the project, and yet, he’d let him go. But Edward couldn’t waste time trying to figure out why. He had a mission now, and it was more important than anything—he had to warn the monster hunters.
Later that night, Edward met with Willo at an inn to relay the details about the experiment beneath the palace. The news hit the group hard, leaving everyone in shock.
Despite the urgency of the situation, it was already late. Willo decided they should rest for the night and rally their forces in the morning to figure out their next steps. The hunters who had crossed the border with Renn’s group were also expected to arrive in Veledot by morning.
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The next morning, Renn, Quin, and Yufi were getting ready to head to the palace, just the three of them.
“Are you alright, Renn?” Yufi asked as Renn climbed out of bed, adjusting her clothes.
“I’m fine. It still hurts here and there, but I can walk.” Renn reassured her. “Let’s head to the palace.”
As they exited the nursing room of the workshop, several hunters suddenly rushed in, approaching them with urgency. They were Willo’s men.
“You three! Come with us, quick!” one of them urged.
“What’s going on?” Quin asked, confused.
The hunters paused to catch their breath before explaining.
“The king has placed a bounty on Willo! Hunters are after him now!”
“What?!” Quin exclaimed.
“They’re targeting him because he’s the most famous among us,” one hunter explained, “but the king also placed bounties on anyone defending him.”
“He’s on the run somewhere—we need to find him, fast!” another added.
“Right! Let’s go!” Renn responded, and they all bolted outside, determined to find Willo before it was too late.
Somewhere in Veledot, Willo and his group sprinted through a narrow alley, pursued by several hunters.
“So Theodore told the king after all, huh?” one of Willo’s men muttered, glancing over his shoulder.
“It doesn’t matter,” Willo replied, eyes fixed ahead. “We’re getting to that laboratory no matter what. This is fine.”
The alley opened into the street, where a group of hunters stood, mana weapons at the ready. “They’re coming! Prepare yourselves!” one of them shouted.
Willo didn’t slow down. Instead, he barreled straight into them, using his large frame to knock them aside and clear a path for his group. They burst out of the alley, but the street wasn’t any safer. Hunters were everywhere, waiting to attack, turning the entire city into a battlefield.
Willo grinned as he drew his massive claymore from his back. The blade, nearly as tall as Renn, had a unique design: two smaller blades positioned side by side, their flat edges facing inward, creating a hollow center. At the base of the hollow section, near the hilt, were two embedded mana cores.
“Get him!” one of the hunters yelled as they charged.
But instead of aiding Willo, his men fell back, confusing their attackers.
Willo activated one of the claymore’s mana cores. Mana surged from the core, gathering in the hollow center of the blade, charging with a fierce energy. Holding the weapon horizontally, with its tip aimed at the incoming hunters, Willo thrust the claymore forward. The stored Mana released in a violent burst—a massive gust of wind roared out, hurling the hunters in every direction.
Willo’s claymore, custom-made years ago, was equipped with two mana cores: one wind-element, the other lightning-element. He called it Lightningstorm.
Blinded by the bounty on Willo’s head, the hunters had forgotten they were up against one of the top monster hunters of the Hunter Guild. They didn’t stand a chance.
“Alright, boys!“ Willo called to his group, resting the claymore on his shoulder armor. “To the palace.“
Elsewhere in Veledot, Dina stood at the window of her inn room, watching the chaos unfold on the street below.
“Geez, it’s getting hectic out there already!“ Dina muttered.
“And we still haven’t received our next orders,” Charlotte replied lazily, sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs swinging idly.
A knock on the door interrupted them. “Hey, it’s Gart! Open up!“
“Whaaaat?“ Dina exaggerated, dragging her voice as she walked to let him in.
Gart stepped inside, his face serious. “We’re leaving Veledot.“
“Why?“ Charlotte asked, still lounging on the bed, unbothered.
“The project’s being executed today,” Gart replied, his tone grim.
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