The road leading away from the academy stretched across rolling hills and dense forest.
Tall pine trees lined both sides of the dirt path, their branches swaying softly under the afternoon wind. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering shifting patterns of light along the road.
Ryusei walked alone.
The green quest scroll rested inside his cloak, occasionally brushing against his chest as he walked.
Despite the strange circumstances surrounding his ranking earlier that day, Ryusei couldn't hide the excitement growing inside him.
"This is my first real quest…" he murmured quietly.
For years he had watched other students leave the academy gates for missions while he remained behind as the so-called F-Rank failure.
But today was different.
Today he was finally stepping into the real world as an Elementalist.
He pulled the scroll from his cloak and opened it again.
The message was short.
Quest Request – Yohei Village
Several Elementalists have disappeared in the area surrounding the village.Investigate the situation and report your findings to the Chima Center.
Ryusei frowned slightly.
"Elementalists disappearing…"
That wasn't something that normally happened.
Still, he didn't want to think too deeply about it yet.
"If it's just an investigation, it should be fine."
According to the map drawn on the scroll, Yohei Village was only half a day's journey from the academy.
If he kept walking, he would arrive by evening.
Ryusei rolled the scroll back up and placed it inside his cloak.
"Well… guess I'll find out when I get there."
With that, he continued down the road.
Completely unaware of the danger waiting for him.
Meanwhile — Outside the Chima Center
The atmosphere outside the Chima Center had grown tense.
Shizen Ryugu stood silently near the entrance, staring down the road leading away from the academy.
Kayosha paced nervously beside him.
"So Ryusei really took that quest…?" she asked quietly.
Yuki folded her arms while leaning against the stone wall.
"If Yukino gave him the green scroll," she said calmly, "then yes."
Shadow stretched lazily beside them.
"I still don't see why everyone is panicking."
He looked at Shizen.
"It's just an investigation quest, right?"
Shizen didn't respond immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the distant road.
Finally, he spoke.
"No."
His voice was unusually serious.
"This isn't just any investigation."
Kayosha stopped pacing.
"You said earlier… Elementalists were disappearing."
Shizen nodded.
"A few days ago, Yohei Village sent a request for help."
"At first, I assumed it was another monster problem."
He glanced briefly at Yuki.
"After the Sea Witch incident."
Yuki groaned loudly.
"Don't remind me."
She remembered freezing the entire lake during that fight.
And the two weeks of paperwork that followed.
Shadow chuckled.
"Worth it though."
Yuki glared at him.
Shizen continued.
"But when I started investigating the reports… the details didn't match a normal monster attack."
Shadow's expression slowly became more serious.
"What do you mean?"
Shizen pulled a folded letter from inside his coat.
"The Elementalists who disappeared…"
He unfolded the paper slowly.
"Weren't killed."
Kayosha's heart skipped a beat.
"They were taken."
Shadow frowned.
"Taken by what?"
Shizen's voice dropped.
"During my investigation I discovered traces of forbidden magic."
The group immediately fell silent.
"Necromancy."
Kayosha felt cold.
"A… Necromancer?"
Even Yuki's playful expression disappeared.
Necromancers were infamous throughout the Elemental World.
They commanded undead armies, corrupted souls, and practiced forbidden magic that most Elementalists refused to study.
Shadow rubbed his chin.
"So you're saying Ryusei just walked into a Necromancer's territory."
Shizen clenched his fists.
"Exactly."
Kayosha immediately turned toward the road.
"Then we have to catch him!"
Yuki pushed herself off the wall.
"Agreed."
Shadow cracked his knuckles.
"Well, this suddenly got interesting."
Shizen nodded.
"He left about twenty minutes ago."
"If we move quickly, we should catch up before he reaches Yohei Village."
Without wasting another second, the four of them rushed down the road.
The Broken Bridge
The sun was already beginning to sink toward the horizon when they reached the Stonewind Bridge.
It was the only crossing point over the deep river canyon separating the academy lands from the region surrounding Yohei Village.
But as they approached the bridge—
Shizen suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened.
The massive stone bridge… was gone.
Or rather—
Half of it had collapsed into the canyon below.
Huge chunks of broken stone hung from the cliff edges, while the rest of the bridge had fallen hundreds of feet into the roaring river beneath.
Kayosha gasped.
"What happened here?!"
Shadow walked to the edge of the broken structure and whistled.
"That wasn't natural."
The stones weren't simply cracked.
They had been shattered.
As if something powerful had struck the bridge with tremendous force.
Yuki knelt down and touched one of the broken fragments.
Cold frost briefly spread from her fingertips.
Then her eyes narrowed.
"This wasn't weather damage."
Shizen looked down into the canyon.
The river below roared violently between jagged rocks.
Crossing it without the bridge would be nearly impossible.
Kayosha looked worried.
"Does this mean…?"
Shizen nodded slowly.
"Ryusei crossed before the bridge collapsed."
Shadow frowned.
"So we're stuck."
Shizen looked around the canyon.
"There might be another crossing route… but it will take time."
Kayosha clenched her fists.
"How long?"
Shizen's expression grew grim.
"A full day."
Kayosha's face turned pale.
"A whole day…?"
Yuki stood up slowly.
"If Ryusei reaches Yohei Village before us…"
Shadow finished the sentence.
"...he'll be facing a Necromancer alone."
For a moment, none of them spoke.
The wind howled through the canyon below.
Finally Shizen turned away from the broken bridge.
"We don't have a choice."
"We'll take the northern pass."
Shadow sighed.
"That's a long route."
Shizen nodded.
"But it's the only way."
Kayosha looked toward the distant road where Ryusei had traveled earlier.
Her chest tightened with worry.
Please be safe, Ryusei…
Because by the time they finally reached Yohei Village…
They would already be one full day too late.
Later — Yohei Village
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Ryusei finally arrived at the gates of Yohei Village.
But something immediately felt wrong.
The village was quiet.
Too quiet.
The streets were empty, and the few villagers who remained walked with nervous expressions.
Ryusei stepped inside the village slowly.
"Excuse me," he called out.
"I'm an Elementalist from the academy."
An elderly man nearby suddenly looked up with wide eyes.
"An Elementalist…?"
Within seconds, several villagers gathered around Ryusei.
A woman grabbed his sleeve desperately.
"Please… you have to help us."
Ryusei looked around.
"What happened here?"
The villagers exchanged fearful glances.
Finally the old man spoke again.
"It started a few days after the Sea Witch was defeated."
He pointed toward the distant lake.
"After the lake froze… strange things began happening."
"People started hearing whispers at night."
Another villager spoke nervously.
"And then the Elementalists began disappearing."
Ryusei frowned.
"Did anyone see what took them?"
The villagers slowly shook their heads.
"No…"
"But sometimes…"
The old man's voice trembled.
"We see shadows walking across the frozen lake."
Ryusei turned his gaze toward the distant water.
The massive lake remained frozen solid.
The wind howled across the ice.
Something about the place felt… wrong.
"I'll investigate the lake tonight," Ryusei said firmly.
The villagers looked at him with hope.
But none of them noticed something stirring beneath the frozen surface.
Far below the lake…
Inside a hidden cavern.
Green runes glowed along the walls.
Dozens of lifeless bodies lay scattered across the ground.
A tall figure cloaked in darkness slowly opened glowing eyes.
"Hehehe…"
The Necromancer's voice echoed through the cavern.
"So… another Elementalist has arrived."
He raised a skeletal hand.
"And this one…"
His eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"...carries a very unusual light."
Above him, Ryusei stood at the edge of the frozen lake.
Completely unaware…
That he had just stepped into the hunting ground of a monster.