It was loud. Elise was sitting at the back of the tavern, sharing a table with two other strangers. Benefiting from the recently prospering town of Rihona, the tavern's stone walls and the big fireplace on the back wall created the perfect spot to spend the chilly northern nights. It was a haven for its loud and crude guests—the Adventurers.
The town bordered the endless Malargo Forest. While the lurking creatures would sometimes emerge and disturb the peace, as far as Elise knew, the town had held its own until now, learning how not to provoke the monsters. Recently, however, people had started to realize the true worth of those monsters. Because the beasts possessed a strangely high mana affinity, they became a valuable source of crafting and research materials. This discovery drew all kinds of people, sparking a 'monster hunting tourism.' People looking to earn a living with their weapons, or rookies hoping to gain real combat experience, had arrived in droves. And Elise was one of them.
After months of drifting aimlessly, she had finally heard the rumors about this place. She had only arrived that morning, spending the entire day learning the town's inner workings, which ultimately led her to Mama Millio's tavern. She still wore her hooded gray cloak to hide her long black hair and the half-plate armor underneath. She couldn't risk being recognized in a place like this, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about the warm fireplace lighting her pale face.
Though her suspicious outfit drew a few unwanted stares, the tavern regulars were clearly accustomed to strange folk. She sat there silently the entire night, trying to extract knowledge from the drunkenly blabbering Adventurers, but her plan was not going as well as she hoped.
There was an Adventurer party in the middle of the tavern, drawing all the attention to themselves. It was common to group up before the hunts; who knew what might happen when one was out there alone? These four had likely known each other beforehand and arrived as a party. The Band of Steel, they called themselves. A party without a magician—even though they were rare—was highly ill-advised against magical creatures like the monsters around here. She had once read a record of a strong magical creature that could eliminate an entire battalion of soldiers.
Arrogant fools, Elise thought. They were young, in their late teens or early twenties, just like her. The only thing they had done all evening was get drunk and boast about their achievements. Well, they had a reason at least.
They had brought a giant egg with them, showing it off and blabbering about how they killed a giant Stone Dragon and took its egg as a trophy. They were the main reason the tavern was so full; it was not a sight one saw often, after all.
While the young Adventurers looked at them with admiration, most of the veterans doubted their story. No one could fight a Dragon and leave without a scratch, especially a party of four, they muttered. Dragons were strong creatures, maybe the strongest of them all. Killing one with only four people was an almost impossible feat.
The Band of Steel brushed off the veterans' arguments, boasting that they were simply far stronger than the average Adventurer. Their drunken belligerence even started a few fights, prompting the tavern's owner, Mama Millio herself, to threaten to kick them out.
Yet, the egg was definitely something special. With its glittering, gem-like silver surface, it could very well be a true Dragon egg. But a Stone Dragon egg? Elise had read enough about Dragons to know it looked nothing like the Stone Dragon eggs described in the records. She did her best to ignore the group and focus on gathering intel, but unfortunately, the egg dominated every conversation in the room. Everyone was obsessed with it—except for one strange man sitting at the counter, casually eating a slice of Mama Millio's signature pumpkin pie and chatting with her.
He had not even glanced in the direction of the egg since he arrived, and was already polishing off his third plate of pumpkin pie. Could it really be that good? Elise wondered. Perhaps she could try a slice before retiring to her inn.
Though he was not facing her, she noted a messy brown beard with reddish tips cascading down his chest, matching the long hair loosely tied into a bun. Without seeing his face, she guessed him to be somewhere in his forties.
What truly stood out, however, was his complete lack of gear. With lurking monsters and ruthless Adventurers roaming the North, traveling unarmed at night was practically a death wish. Maybe he's concealing them, Elise thought. His clothing was certainly voluminous enough to hide an arsenal.
Layers of white cloth strips were heavily stacked over his body, looking like tangled rags from afar that were nonetheless surprisingly clean. If he wasn't hiding weapons, then he had to be a powerful magician. For a fleeting second, she even thought she saw his cloth strips swaying entirely on their own. Yes, a magician made perfect sense. Or perhaps she was overthinking it as usual; he could just be a beggar and a friend of Mama Millio's, coming in for a warm meal. Nothing more, nothing less. But despite her rationalizations, a strange pull drew her attention back to him—there was undoubtedly something off about this man.
Lost in her thoughts, Elise noticed one of the Band of Steel members stumbling toward the counter. It was their leader, Jacky, if she remembered correctly.
"Hey, Millio!" he slurred loudly. "We've been calling you for like... hours!" He was drunk enough to walk in a zigzag, eventually bracing himself against the counter. "Come on, give us four more mugs of ale, the night is still young."
Mama Millio eyed the young man, who was struggling just to stand upright. "Haven't you had enough for tonight, boy?"
Frowning, Jacky attempted to puff out his chest and stand a little taller. "What are you talking about? I drink how much I want, whenever I want!" he spat.
"Not in my tavern, boy," Mama Millio replied flatly.
The drunk glared at the tavern owner, anger flaring in his eyes, but his gaze crashed against the unfazed stare of a woman who had handled drunks for most of her life. In that tense moment, the strange man beside them merely took a sip of his drink.
"Do you see that egg?" Jacky demanded, attempting to point back to his table with a wavering finger. "We killed a Stone Dragon and took its egg as a trophy. I am not a boy; I am a MAN! Now move that fat ass of yours and bring us something to drink."
The escalating voices gradually silenced the tavern, drawing everyone's attention. Patrons turned in their seats to watch the commotion. Mama Millio was certainly not the thinnest person there, but saying it to her face was a line you didn't cross. Murmurs of disapproval rippled through the Adventurers; she was their host, and disrespecting her was not something they would tolerate.
Mama Millio stood perfectly still, her eyes wide at the young warrior's sheer audacity. Slowly, she took an empty mug and filled it with ale from the barrel behind her.
"Now that's what I'm—" Jacky began with a smug smile, but his sentence was cut short as the entire mug of ale splashed directly into his face.
Leaning across the counter, Mama Millio spoke with icy calm. "Get that egg of yours and get out of my tavern, before I shove it up your ass."
A wave of laughter erupted from the crowd as the so-called leader of the Band of Steel stood dripping with ale. As the drunken patrons cheered the spectacle, Elise noticed a dangerous shift. Jacky was sobering up quickly—whether from the freezing ale or the furious humiliation. Standing rigid with white-knuckled fists, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. Sensing the violence about to snap, Elise leaned forward, ready to react.
Just as one of his companions stood up to help him, Jacky reached for the blade at his waist. Reacting instantly, Elise dashed toward him before anyone else could move—no one had expected her to be so reckless. But she made a critical miscalculation.
Drunk and a liar he might be, but Jacky still knew how to wield a sword. He swung his weapon with terrifying speed. Realizing she couldn't reach in time, Elise heard the surrounding patrons scrambling to stop him, but they were all too late. She braced herself for the worst, yet the blow never came.
The blade was caught mid-swing by the strange man next to him, pinched effortlessly between two fingers. The momentary turmoil instantly gave way to a stunned silence. It was not a small sword by any means, but regardless of its size, catching a blade with just two fingers was an impossible feat. Yet he had done it with terrifying ease. The young warrior desperately tried to yank his blade free, but it was futile. The strange man was the first to speak.
"Hold your horses, boy. You'll get yourself killed with that kind of attitude." He finally turned on his stool to face the leader of the Band, revealing he hadn't even been looking when he caught the strike. "I cannot let you kill the creator of the best pumpkin pie I've ever had." Elise realized his face was much younger than she had assumed; the messy beard had been drastically aging him.
"Stop calling me a boy! I am a man!" Jacky spat, still desperately trying to yank his blade free. "Ughh! Let go, you lowlife scum, and I'll show you who kills who."
"Hmm. A man, you say," the strange man replied calmly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not the one who will kill you." The stark contrast between their struggles over the weapon made the scene almost comical to watch. "So, tell me then, man, do you even know what you did? With that thing, I mean." He gestured toward the giant egg with his head.
"What are you talking about? We killed its mother, a Stone Dragon, and took it. That's it. Are you deaf?" Jacky panted; his breathing had grown heavy from the sheer effort of trying to free his blade.
"Well, the thing is, it is not a Stone Dragon egg, you see."
"What nonsense..."
"It is, in fact, a Silver Dragon egg."
Those words sent ripples of whispers throughout the entire tavern. A Silver Dragon egg? Weren't they just a myth?
"What are you even talking about? Don't mess with me, and let it go," Jacky pleaded, his confidence rapidly crumbling.
The strange man didn't even bother to look at him. "There is no way your lot could slay a Silver Dragon, so I assume you found an empty nest and stole it." He turned his head toward one of the windows, his gaze fixing on something outside that Elise couldn't see. "You know what that means, right?"
The young warrior's eyes widened as the surrounding whispers swelled into panicked murmurs. Letting out a frustrated cry, Jacky gave one final, desperate heave to free his blade. And as he did, the strange man twisted his fingers. A sharp, shattering crack echoed through the tavern as the blade burst into pieces from the effortless movement. Jacky stumbled backward, only kept from falling by one of his companions.
When the strange man finally stood up, Elise—who had always been taller than her peers—was surprised to realize his height was below average. Leaning over the counter to retrieve a package, he produced a few silver coins from deep within the tangled layers of his clothing.
"Thank you again for this delicious creation, Millio. I'll take my leave now."
He strolled casually toward the exit under the bewildered stares of the Adventurers, stepping out into the night without another word. The instant the heavy door clicked shut behind him, a distant, earth-shattering roar ripped through the air, vibrating deep within Elise's bones. A heartbeat later, the screams began.