Five years passed in the blink of an eye. Recently, Akshran appointed Rashkal as his successor, announcing his departure for a "divine journey." Jhaari had served its purpose—he'd taken all he could from the city. Now, it was of no further concern to him. His focus shifted to raising his powers, testing the limits of all he had mastered. His adventure was finally beginning.

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The Adventurer's Guild thrummed with life. Adventurers crowded around tables, betting on tall tales, clinking mugs, and laughing boisterously, indulging in the rare moments between quests.

Then, the door swung open, and a figure cloaked in shadow strolled in. His hood was pulled low, his face barely visible beneath the dark fabric as he moved slowly across the crowded hall. Conversations dipped, and a few adventurers eyed him, snickering.

"Oh great, another one of those types," muttered a grizzled man at the bar.

"What's with all these emo wannabes?" a younger adventurer scoffed beside him.

But Akshran brushed it off, unfazed by the taunts. His hood wasn't just for effect—it concealed his face, keeping him as unreadable as he liked. Ignoring the stares, he moved through the crowd toward the reception desk.

"Signup," he said in a low, almost dismissive tone.

The receptionist—a tall woman dressed casually in a loose shirt and pants—raised a brow, her eyes glinting with mischief. Her reddish-pink eyes sparkled as she smirked. "Not much of a talker, huh? Can't even squeeze out a whole sentence?" She slid a form across the counter with a playful smile.

Akshran picked up the form, but her hand shot out, stopping him. "Nuh-uh," she said, chuckling. "First, we need to make sure you're strong enough for the guild."

She hefted a large, rune-engraved hammer onto the counter. Muttering, "Two," a line of the rune lit up. "Lift this," she instructed, crossing her arms with a challenging glint in her eye.

With a smirk, Akshran grasped the hammer and lifted it with one hand, only slightly straining. The receptionist blinked, taken aback. "Uhh… you were supposed to use both hands, but sure." She retrieved an amulet, offering it to him. "Put this on. It measures your magical energy levels."

"What if someone hasn't awakened their Resonance?" he asked.

"It won't glow if they haven't," she explained. "Even the weakest Resonance would make it shine, even if just barely."

Akshran slipped it on, and a faint light flickered, signaling he met the minimum threshold. Satisfied, the receptionist pushed the form toward him. "Alright, you're fit to be an adventurer."

She winked. "Name's Ghislaine, by the way."

Akshran stayed silent, not offering his name as he scribbled his details on the form. Glancing down, he raised a brow at the list of disclaimers: "If you die, we're not responsible. If you get cheated, suck it up. If you gamble away your house, we don't care. If you can't pay off a home loan, you can sell your kids." He muttered under his breath, baffled by the extremes. "Who's signing this? Sell your kids if you don't make payments?"

Ghislaine chuckled as she skimmed his form. "You've got the brooding mystery act down to a T." She read over his details. "Now, hand over 100 copper for the registration, 'Raven,'" she added, using his chosen alias. Akshran handed over the coins, watching as she produced a small card with his information engraved on it.

"Here's your adventurer ID," she said. "Don't lose it. We don't store D-rank names in the database until you hit at least a B-rank."

"Why not save D-rank names?" he asked.

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"Too many of you," she replied with a sigh. "It's a numbers game. B-ranks aren't as common, less than one percent of C-ranks. D-ranks? There's ten times as many of you as C-ranks. Our servers would crash saving all those names."

Akshran nodded, processing the system's practical indifference. Ghislaine pointed to the mission board. "Now that you're official, you'll need to pick a starter quest. It's mandatory for all newbies."

Akshran skimmed the quest list with a bemused expression. "Clear the fields of pests? No. Destroy enemy forces? Pass. Clean up… waste? Absolutely not." His fingers paused on a mission, and he pulled it down, laying it on the counter.

Rosland, another guild clerk, did a double-take, nearly spitting out her drink. "You're serious? This mission is… are you looking to get yourself killed?"

Akshran raised a brow. "Why?"

"It's an Allenstein murder investigation—a Rank D job in name, but way above most of you mentally. It's for deep thinkers, not just brawlers."

"Strength alone isn't enough?" he asked, intrigued.

"Nope. Newbies who tried before met gruesome fates. It's dangerous—don't think brute strength will save you."

Akshran's expression remained steady. "I'll take it."

Rosland sighed, signing the mission reluctantly. "Just remember, some missions… they don't end well."

"Not for me," Akshran replied, already walking away.

As Akshran stepped out of the Guild into the chill of dusk, his path was clear. The village of Allenstein awaited, shrouded in mystery—and death.

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Allenstein

"You're the adventurer who took the mission?" An older man sized him up, his gaze appraising. He looked to be in his forties, with a sheriff's hat perched on his head, dressed in an official uniform that had seen better days.

"Yes. You may call me Raven," Akshran replied as his gaze swept over the village—a simple place with simple people, the sort of quiet backdrop where hidden sins often lingered in plain sight.

"I am Sheriff Thawyne," the man continued, extending a hand. "Assigned to assist whoever takes on the mission."

Raven shook the sheriff's hand, offering a faint smile.. "Please, tell me the details of the case and any suspects."

"Not more than a month ago, strange killings started happening," Sheriff Thawyne began. "It started small, one or two deaths, but soon enough, it spiraled. As of today, thirty-five people are dead."

The sheriff's expression turned grim. "Most of the victims are children; five were adults. They were the rookie adventurers who tried investigating the case."

Raven's eyes narrowed as he listened. "So these murders were an escalation?"

Thawyne nodded. "The first murder was thought to be an accident or some vagrant attack, but more children vanished soon after. Their bodies would show up days later, deep in the woods or along the marshes, so savaged it was a challenge to identify them."

Raven's brow furrowed. "Go on."

"When the deaths reached fifteen, Mayor Mansi ordered a full lockdown. Nobody in, nobody out. Families kept their children inside, took shifts to guard their homes. And still, more bodies kept appearing."

"Meaning the killer moved freely even under lockdown," Raven observed.

"Exactly. It's led us to believe there's Resonance or some kind of supernatural power involved," Thawyne admitted.

"And trust? It must be strained, at best."

Thawyne sighed. "Allenstein's in a state of paralysis. No leads, no clues, only mounting fear. Everyone suspects everyone else."

"What about the crime scenes?" Raven asked.

"They're brutal. Precise but brutal." The sheriff's face tightened. "The children's bodies are found with gruesome injuries—many have had their insides torn apart, while others show signs of their heads being bludgeoned repeatedly with a heavy rock. The method varies slightly each time, making it difficult to pin down a specific modus operandi or any kind of ritual pattern."

"And yet… some items must have been left behind. I imagine torn book pages, a paper clip, or a pen?" Raven said, eyebrows lifting slightly.

Thawyne looked taken aback. "Y-you're right. We've found torn book pages, clips, and pens. All ordinary, but all from the library. Sometimes a lone piece of fabric too."

Raven smirked. "Interesting. Any suspects?"

"Three," Thawyne replied. "Taski, a traveling merchant. He arrived just before the murders. He's friendly with the kids, and gives them toys and sweets. He doesn't stay in one place—easy for him to stay undetected."

Raven's smirk deepened. "And the others?"

"Haska, the village librarian. She's… odd. She guards her books fiercely. The torn pages suggest her, and she's been overly defensive about the murders. Villagers have noticed her temper flaring when they bring it up."

"And the third?"

Thawyne hesitated. "Mayor Mansi. She's enforced a strict lockdown. She's known to dislike children, and her heavy-handed measures have raised suspicions. Some villagers think she's hiding something or using the lockdown to cover up the truth."

Akshran nodded, an unsettling glint in his eyes. "So, Sheriff," he said, his voice low, almost amused, "are you ready to see what we uncover?"

Thawyne shifted, clearly uneasy. "Do you think you can solve this?"

"Yes," Akshran replied with a confidence that left the sheriff silent. He turned toward the village, an unreadable smirk on his face.

"Our first course of action…" Akshran paused, an unreadable glint in his eyes before he turned to face the looming shadows of Allenstein. "Let's begin."