The Guild Hall of Blackmere pulsed with tension.
Hunters crowded the mission floor—armor clanking, voices rising. The mission board was packed, but one sealed scroll glowed darker than the rest: S-Rank Threat. Immediate Deployment.
Kael stood outside the Guild's arched entrance, his cloak drawn, hood casting a shadow over his face. He wore no badge, no symbol. Only a false name—Caden Vale. Even now, the mark of Maldrak pulsed faintly beneath his tunic like a buried coal.
He stepped into the hall. Heads turned.
He ignored them.
Then the Guild Bell tolled.
A silver-haired officer stepped onto the dais, voice booming.
"A Corruption outbreak has breached containment. Duskwind Vale is compromised. Civilians missing. Local wildlife twisted. Two scouting parties failed to return."
Silence gripped the room.
"This is not a beast. It speaks. It moves with intelligence. An S-rank threat. The Guild authorizes immediate execution. Reward: 1,000 gold."
Most Hunters turned away. S-rank meant death. But Kael stepped forward.
"I'll take the quest."
Laughter echoed from the crowd. A burly axe-user barked, "Kid wants to die early."
But the officer studied him—saw the stillness in Kael's stance, the eerie calm in his eyes.
"…Fine. You'll go as advance recon. Observe. Report. Do not engage."
Kael said nothing. He was already walking out the door.
---
Duskwind Vale – Midnight
The forest was dying.
Kael moved through the corrupted woods in silence. Trees bled black sap. The air was cold and heavy, like something was watching. His Soulflame pulsed softly within his chest, warning him.
Then he heard it—screaming.
He dropped to a crouch, slipping behind a ridge overlooking a clearing.
Five Hunters were there, torches lit, weapons drawn.
Across from them stood a figure cloaked in ragged black.
Skin pale. Eyes glowing like blood eclipses.
The corrupted man tilted his head.
"More of you? Hmph. Let's get this over with."
A spear-wielder lunged. She didn't even make it two steps.
The corrupted man twitched—and she was airborne, body twisted mid-lunge, bones cracking audibly before she slammed into a tree.
She didn't get up.
Another Hunter unleashed a fire bolt. The corrupted man walked through it. Not dodged—walked through, like it was ash in the wind.
He raised a finger. A ripple of black mana surged out.
The Hunter's skin turned grey. His scream stopped halfway as he turned to stone and shattered.
Kael's fists clenched, but he didn't move.
Not yet.
A third tried to flee. The corrupted appeared behind him instantly, whispering in his ear.
"Running already?"
With a flick, he tore the man's throat out with his hand—then hurled the corpse like garbage.
The last two Hunters stood trembling.
The corrupted sighed, bored.
"Why are they always so fragile? Same prayers. Same screams. Same endings."
He walked toward them, slow, deliberate.
One of the Hunters dropped to his knees, begging.
Kael's knuckles whitened on his blade.
The corrupted raised his hand again—and Kael moved.
A blast of black-blue Soulflame cut through the air, intercepting the corrupted's spell with a crack of light.
He landed in the clearing, coat flaring, hood down.
The two surviving Hunters gasped behind him.
Kael didn't look back.
The corrupted's grin widened.
"There you are," he whispered. "I was starting to think this world had nothing left to offer me."
Kael's eyes were sharp. Cold. Focused.
"Then I'll give you something to remember."
Soulflame ignited along his blade. The corrupted's aura surged.
And without another word—
They charged.