The news spread through the capital of Azmuth like a wildfire fueled by gale-force winds. The "Demon Army" had established a foothold in No Man's Land. The rumors reached every corner of the kingdom, from the gilded halls of the palace to the dust-choked streets of the border territories.
In a remote town at the very edge of the kingdom's reach, the air was thick with the scent of cheap ale and impending violence. This was a place where adventurers of all ranks—iron, copper, bronze, and silver—gathered to trade stories and scars. Being so close to the border of No Man's Land, the local tavern was the heart of the town's survival. Quests were posted daily. Monsters were killed. Bounties were collected. But today, the chatter was different. It was laced with fear.
In the furthest corner of the room, draped in shadow, sat an enigmatic figure. Her name wasCassia Ghast. She possessed a striking, porcelain-pale complexion that stood out against her shaggy, raven hair. Beneath the messy layers of her bob, vibrant streaks of emerald green framed a delicate, heart-shaped face. Her sharp, almond-shaped eyes were a deep, intense malachite—weary, but possessing a piercing focus.
She was clad in a sleek, tactical bodysuit of matte-black leather and flexible fabric that highlighted her powerful, hourglass silhouette. A half-mask with an intricate, predatory design rested on her face, making those who caught her gaze instinctively look away. On her shoulders sat jagged, obsidian-colored pauldrons, and at the center of her chest, an emerald gem radiated a faint, toxic-green light. She was a vision of lethal grace.
"Hey you! Weird lady!" A female rabbit-kin adventurer, a copper-rank by the looks of her plate, skipped toward the corner. "You look like you could kill a few dozen monsters. Want to join our party?"
Cassia didn't move. She simply gave the beastkin a cold, unblinking stare that lasted a full six seconds. "Is it worth my time?" Cassia asked, her voice like grinding silk. The beastkin grinned, undeterred by the chill in the air. "Sure is! The quest is to take down a den of steel-fanged wolves. They've been causing quite a headache on the main road, and the bounty is pretty decent. What do you say, lady?"
Cassia's lips parted to speak, but the words were stolen by a sudden crash. The heavy tavern doors were violently kicked open. The wood slammed against the stone walls, shattering the local chatter and forcing every eye to the entrance.
A haughty commander of Azmuth's army marched in, flanked by a squad of armored guards. He was a man in his late thirties, clad in shiny silver plate, exuding a forced, awkward sense of confidence. "Greetings, adventurers!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the rafters. "Sorry for the abrupt entry, but we are in a hurry. To cut to the chase, I am here to recruit you all. You will join us in our march to No Man's Land."
The room went silent for a heartbeat before a bronze-rank adventurer spoke up. "Why? What's in No Man's Land aside from monsters and beasts?" The commander paused, his expression turning grave for dramatic effect.
"Demons."
A collective gasp rippled through the tavern. The air seemed to grow ten degrees colder. "The demon army has occupied a portion of No Man's Land. They are building a stronghold there as we speak. There is also a high chance they have already slaughtered our people!" The commander slammed a fist against his breastplate. "The group of brave soldiers and adventurers who went to retrieve the traitorous sisters? They have likely fallen to this demonic vanguard!"
Cassia's weary but focused eyes lit up with a sudden, sharp interest. "So, what's the plan?" The commander smirked at her, though he quickly averted his eyes, unable to hold her malachite gaze for long. "W-well... we plan on hiring some adventurers first," he stammered, his confidence wavering. "We will send in a scouting party along with a few soldiers from the army to gather information on the enemy's location and their numbers."
The tavern erupted. A copper-ranked human male slammed his mug onto a table. "HUH?! SO YOU PLAN ON SENDING A SCOUTING PARTY WITH THE HIGH CHANCE OF THAT PARTY BEING KILLED, ALL SO YOU CAN GATHER INFORMATION FIRST?!" An iron-rank adventurer stood up, his face flushed with rage. "WHAT DO YOU THINK OUR LIVES ARE?!" "WE'RE NOT SACRIFICIAL LAMBS!!" another voice added from the back.
The adventurers in the tavern turned into a sea of protest, their collective anger boiling over. The commander's face turned a deep shade of red, frustration and fury twisting his features. He raised his hand sharply.
In an instant, the armored soldiers shifted into an offensive stance, their spears leveling toward the crowd. The clatter of steel against stone immediately silenced the room. "YOU BACKWATER MISCREANTS!" the commander roared. "I'M NOT ASKING HERE, THIS IS AN ORDER! Anyone who refuses will be arrested and imprisoned. This is the King's decree!"
The adventurers sat back down, seething with silent resentment, unable to challenge the weight of the crown. In the corner, Cassia smirked behind her predatory mask. She stood up, her movements fluid and hauntingly graceful.
"No need to involve these weaklings," she said, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "I volunteer to lead your scouting party. I'm confident I'm more than enough."
She began to walk toward the soldiers, stopping just far enough to maintain a menacing presence. The commander tried his hardest to reclaim his awkward, blustering confidence. "And what makes you think you're more than qualified to lead the Kingdom's scouting party?" Cassia didn't answer with words. She reached into a utility strap on her thigh and pulled out her adventurer card.
She held it up for the room to see. It was crafted from a material that caught the lantern light—an unmistakable, brilliant Gold.
The silence that followed was absolute. Then, the whispers started like a hissing of snakes. "A gold-rank?" "What is a gold-ranked adventurer doing in a dump like this?" The tavern staff and the warriors alike stared at her as if she were a legendary beast made flesh.
Cassia ignored the noise, her gaze fixed on the trembling commander. "So, what's it gonna be? Want me to prove it by killing your ranks of tin men here in seconds?" A cold, predatory smile touched her plush lips. "I could definitely do that. You can even count yourself in if you want."
The soldiers broke out in a cold sweat. They instinctively shuffled backward, their armor rattling with the tremor of their limbs. In terms of raw capability, these men were no better than copper or bronze-rankers. Their instincts were screaming at them, warning them of the abyss standing in front of them.
Even the commander wasn't safe. He felt a suffocating wave of killer intent exuding from Cassia, a physical pressure that made it hard to draw breath. "I-I-I think y-you've d-demonstr-trated enough, my lady," he stammered. The change in his tone was pathetic and instantaneous. His confidence didn't just break; it shattered into dust against an individual who clearly outscaled everyone in the room.
Cassia pulled back her intent.
The room breathed again, though the weight of her presence still lingered in the air. "She's the real deal," a silver-ranked female wolfkin whispered from a nearby table. Cassia tucked her gold card away and looked at the broken commander. "So... when do you plan on sending that scouting party?"