Since that night, Valentia Lucas had been unable to stop thinking about the direction of the Black Forest. The red light blinking outside the window. The vibration traveling through the floor. And that moment when the sound of barking dogs abruptly ceased. Every sleepless night spent in a bed at the inn "The Luminous Branch," that sensation returned. Gripping the black stone fragment he'd picked up from the bottom of the poison marsh, Lucas thought to himself. (Something's coming. Definitely coming.) The morning of the tenth day since arriving in Bernd. The sky was thick with clouds, and the wind carried an unnatural chill. —— A stranger was sitting in the first-floor reception of the Lynx Bernd branch. The moment Lucas opened the door, what caught his eye was the back of a middle-aged man with white hair streaked with gray, tied back neatly. He sat in a chair at the counter, quietly reading documents. His spine was perfectly straight, his shoulders broad. Despite his relaxed posture, there was something about him that carried a settled weight. On the chest of his jacket, a badge indicating the royal capital's guild headquarters gleamed. "Huh...?" Aria, standing on the inside of the counter, looked at Lucas with a troubled expression. Her light blue hair stood on end. Lucas had recently come to understand that this was what happened when she was confused. "[whispers]I wasn't told about this..." The man looked up. His calm brown eyes regarded Lucas and Aria in turn. "[gentle]My name is Moreno Kalts. I've been dispatched from the royal capital headquarters. I apologize for the sudden visit—I wasn't able to send word in advance." His tone was polite, his voice low and calm. When he stood, he was about one hundred seventy-eight centimeters tall, and he didn't put his full weight on his left leg. Whether from an old scar or injury, he dragged his foot ever so slightly as he walked. "[surprised]Are you here for an inspection?" "[gentle]Nothing so formal. I simply—" Kalts placed a single document on the desk. "[serious]wanted to confirm this." Lucas craned his neck to look. It was a request report—the Forlorn Poison Marsh. His name was written on it. "[surprised]Y-yes... well, that's me." Kalts looked at Lucas. His gaze narrowed quietly. "[gentle]Do you think that was coincidence?" "Huh?" "[gentle]It's difficult for an F-rank to solve a C-rank recommended request by mere chance." It was said matter-of-factly, but with unmistakable weight. Lucas tried to say something, but nothing came out. Aria's face suddenly brightened. "[excited]I think so too! Lucas is amazing!" "[serious]...It wasn't really anything special." "[gentle]No need for modesty." Kalts looked at the document once more. Then he closed his eyes quietly and paused for a moment. That pause was, for some reason, terrifying. —— "[serious]Now, let's move to the main topic." Kalts spread out another document. Lucas and Aria leaned forward. There was a map and several eyewitness reports laid out. The Black Forest of Mirza—a deep forest spreading fifteen kilometers southeast of Bernd. "[serious]Varokus. An unknown large monster. Estimated body height of over four meters. Five sightings reported in the past week. All confirmed at the outer edges of the Black Forest or in directions heading toward Bernd." Aria's expression changed. "[scared]...That means..." "[serious]The headquarters has decided to raise the danger level around Bernd from C to A." A-rank. By adventurer standards, a threat that only top-tier combatants in the nation could handle. Most adventurers registered in Bernd were E to D-rank, and Lucas was still F-rank. "[serious]A-rank... There are no A-rank adventurers in Bernd." "[gentle]I'm aware. That's why I've requested reinforcements from headquarters." Kalts produced a sealed letter. It was already open. "[serious]The response has already arrived." He took a single breath, then read aloud. "[cold]—There is no priority to allocate headquarters forces to a frontier branch's matter. End of message." Silence fell. Aria gripped the document with both hands. Her fingertips turned white. "[serious]...That means..." Her voice trembled slightly. "[serious]They're abandoning Bernd, aren't they?" Kalts didn't deny it. Lucas placed both hands on his knees and stared at the table. (No way...) "Then," his voice came out. "[serious]Who's going to protect Bernd?" Kalts paused for a moment. "[serious]...Only those of us currently in this town." That single statement fell heavily into the air. No one could say anything. Then—the door creaked open. A young clerk nervously poked his head out from the back office. Three steaming cups in both hands. "[scared]Um... the tea is ready..." All three turned at once. In the perfect silence, only the steam from the cups drifted. The clerk froze. The three of them froze as well. Only Kalts quietly reached out his hand. "[gentle]Thank you." Lucas couldn't help but smile wryly. Aria let out a small sigh. —— The news spread quickly. When the notice of Varokus's danger level being raised to A was posted on the bulletin board, adventurers began forming a line at the guild counter before noon. A veteran D-rank slammed his request forms on the counter with rough hands. "[angry]I'm returning all of these. A-rank monsters are beyond me." A young pair appeared quickly, packing their meager belongings as they spoke. "[scared]We're heading back to the capital. Sorry." Even when Aria called out "Please wait a moment," no one stopped. Lucas stood beside the counter, watching their backs the entire time. One by one, adventurers left through the guild's door. Those with packed belongings walked across the stone pavement and disappeared beyond Bernd's stone walls. (Should I stop them? But if I force them to stay and they die...) He couldn't stop them. The words to stop them wouldn't come. By evening, only three adventurers remained in the guild: Lucas, a taciturn F-rank man named Gordon with a sturdy build, and a boy named Tao, around seventeen years old. Gordon hadn't brought any belongings. Tao had nowhere to go, it seemed, and simply sat in a chair with his head down. Aria stood in front of the bulletin board and murmured. "[sad]...Only three of us left." Lucas stood beside her. "[serious]There are four of us. Me, you, Kalts, and—" "[gentle]I'm not combat-capable." A quiet voice came from the wall. Kalts stood with his arms crossed. "[gentle]I was once B-rank, but my old leg injury prevents me from running now. I'm useless in battle." Lucas had nothing to say. Aria turned to look at him. "[whispers]...Aren't you scared?" Lucas paused for a moment. "[serious]I'm terrified." He said it honestly. Aria looked slightly surprised. "[serious]But this is my place to belong." He added it while still looking at the bulletin board. He hadn't really thought it through before saying it. He just felt it. Aria turned to face forward, looking at Lucas. She started to say something— "[gentle]...I see." That was all she said, and she turned back to face forward. —— Past midnight. The first thing Lucas noticed was the vibration through the floor. When he was awake at the inn, looking out the window, he felt a steady tremor through the soles of his feet—the same kind of vibration as that night, something walking toward them. And a low roar shook the night air. [[Warning: Large monster approaching detected—exercise caution regarding abnormal command essence consumption]] A system notification seemed to flash in his mind, and Lucas burst from his room. In front of the stone wall, Aria, Kalts, Gordon, and Tao had already gathered. Beyond the light of the torches—peering over the top of the stone wall—it was there. Massive. A jet-black giant body exceeding four meters in height. The outer shell covering its entire form gleamed darkly, like an iron suit of armor. Every time its four thick legs struck the ground, the stone pavement trembled. A long tail swayed slowly in a sweeping motion. Its eyes glowed red. Two points of light slowly gazed upon Bernd's stone wall. "[scared]...Varokus." Gordon silently drew his sword. He approached the gate in the wall and swung his blade downward from the front—CLANG! The sword was deflected. Not just chipped; the blade itself was bent at the hilt. Gordon's hand trembled. Tao fired an arrow. It pinged off the outer shell and fell to the ground. Not a scratch. "[scared]It's not working! Nothing's working!" [[Skill <<Decompose>>—might be effective.]] Lucas checked the mark on his right hand. A faint golden light dwelled at his fingertips. (I have to try.) He ran along the top of the stone wall and reached out to touch Varokus's outer shell. The moment he made contact— [[<<Decompose>> activated: Analyzing target structure... Command essence consumption: twelve times normal.]] Twelve times. The moment he understood that number, he felt his strength being drained from his body. The surface of the outer shell began to crumble. Turning to sand. But it was slow. Abnormally slow. "[serious]Your command essence won't hold!" Kalts's voice reached him. He knew. But he couldn't stop. A palm-sized section—the outer shell crumbled about ten centimeters before his vision tilted. Sensation drained from his legs. (This is bad...) CRASH!! Varokus's tail swept across. Lucas was sent flying and slammed his back against the stone wall. The air was knocked from his lungs. A dull sound echoed deep in his ribs. The taste of iron spread through his mouth. As he collapsed to the ground, he looked up. Varokus had turned around. Its red eyes—were now fixed on Aria. "[scared]Lucas!!" Aria screamed as she backed away. He had almost no sensation in his body. His legs wouldn't move. And yet— (It's going to hit Aria.) Lucas pushed against the ground with both arms and somehow got up. No—he wasn't really standing. He dragged himself forward half a step—and positioned himself between Aria and Varokus. The second blow was far heavier. BOOM!! This time he was slammed into the ground. His face touched the cold stone pavement. His body wouldn't move. It wouldn't move at all. His command essence was nearly depleted. (...I can't.) A sound came from far away. The torches swayed. Kalts was waving a torch and shouting. "[serious]Get all residents inside! Gordon, block the street!" Kalts moved forward, dragging his foot. In that movement was the certainty of someone who had once walked a battlefield. Despite saying he was bound by guild constraints and couldn't fight—in this moment alone, the body of a former B-rank adventurer remembered. Varokus turned back toward the stone wall. As if losing interest—it struck once. A section of the stone wall collapsed with a BOOM. The sound of rubble falling. Dust spreading. And the jet-black giant slowly retreated toward the Black Forest. The tremor of its footsteps faded into the distance. Silence fell. Beyond the collapsed wall, only the darkness of night remained. —— Aria knelt beside Lucas. She pulled out a small vial of recovery potion, her trembling hands applying it to his wounds. Her hands shook, though Aria herself didn't seem to notice. Lucas's lips moved. "[sad]...I couldn't protect anything again." His voice was small. Not anger or frustration, but a tired statement of fact. "[sad]My skill isn't nearly enough. After all... it's just garbage." Aria's hands stopped. Her lips pressed tightly together, her hands trembling as she applied the potion. Some distance away, Kalts watched the two of them. He said nothing. There was nothing to say. Cold night wind blew through the gap in the collapsed wall. Lucas's eyes remained fixed on the sky, unfocused. In the silence, Tao hesitantly opened his mouth. "[scared]Um... will Varokus come again?" Kalts gave a single response. "[cold]It will." T