The scorching sunlight still blanketed the Overmas family mansion, everyone busy with their own activities.
Outside the mansion, under the direct heat of the sun, only the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects could be heard.
But that silence was shattered by the sound of an explosion coming from the corridor near the warehouse.
BOOM!
Everyone froze for a moment, but the robed figures wearing masks immediately rushed toward the source of the explosion, gathering from various corners of the mansion.
One of them was a man wearing a white mask. On his mask, only three lines were carved where the eyes and mouth should be, while his black hood hid the color of his hair.
He shouted orders to the others.
"Don't let the servants get close! Especially Julian Overmas!"
His team members answered in unison.
"Yes, Captain!"
The masked captain looked at the black smoke billowing upward as he moved toward the back warehouse corridor.
He clicked his tongue.
'Ck… troublesome, was that Torik tailing the head servant?'
The masked captain pushed through the black smoke. Inside, the walls and glass had already been shattered.
His eyes shifted elsewhere. There, a man with green eyes was leaning against the wall, blood pouring heavily from his stomach, while his mask had been split into three pieces.
The masked captain quickly approached.
He could clearly see Torik's wound, his stomach looked as if it had been clawed open.
"Hey… Torik, what happened?"
Torik only grimaced in pain, using the last of his strength before passing out.
"He…ad… servant…"
The masked captain turned his head to the left, toward the warehouse, and fell silent for a few moments.
There, the head servant lay face down.
"Damn…"
The masked captain shouted at the other team members who were arriving one by one.
"Take him to the treatment room."
He walked toward the body of the head servant, crouched down, and turned over the already cold and stiff corpse.
A sigh could be heard from behind his mask.
There, the masked captain could clearly see it— the head servant's hands had turned into claws, and his teeth were sharp like fangs.
The nose beneath the captain's mask also caught something.
It was the mixed scent of burning and rot.
"Damn… this is the smell of demonic energy."
The masked captain stood up as one of his team members approached.
That team member wanted to speak, but the masked captain spoke first.
"Don't tell me, his wounds are the same as the restaurant owner's corpse that was found yesterday?"
His team member was silent for a moment before giving a slight nod.
The masked captain scratched at his black hood, causing his white hair to accidentally show.
He slowly walked away, followed by his team member.
The team member tried to speak.
"Isn't that good, sir? The culprit has already been caught."
The masked captain clicked his tongue.
"Where did you get the idea that he's the culprit?..."
The team member fell silent, unable to answer, and the masked captain continued.
"What if he's just one of them? What if there are still others hiding?..."
The masked captain pulled back his hood, revealing his white hair.
"...gather everyone in one place, just keep them guarded. I'll speak with the palace first."
The team member nodded and turned to leave.
The masked captain watched his subordinate go before heading toward his own destination.
The captain's steps led him to one of the rooms.
He opened the door without knocking.
Inside, there was a large monitor mounted on the wall and an operator carrying out his duties.
The operator greeted the masked captain.
"The call will connect shortly, Captain."
The masked captain nodded.
Slowly, the large monitor on the wall changed color to blue, and an image gradually began to form.
There, seated in a chair, was a man wearing a black mask and a black robe.
The masked captain remained silent for a few moments after seeing the person he had contacted, while the man in the black mask also said nothing.
The masked captain then began tiptoeing and glancing toward the corners of the video call, searching for the person he actually wanted to meet to report the incident.
"Where is His Majesty, Black? Isn't this supposed to be a direct line to him?"
Black spoke, his voice slightly muffled by his mask.
"What is it? His Majesty is busy right now, so just tell me, White."
White shook his head in disagreement.
"No, no, His Majesty said he would answer this call personally…."
Black let out a sigh and rubbed his sore neck.
"I said he's busy, now hurry up and tell me what happened!"
White lowered his head for a moment, then looked back at the monitor. He didn't have time to whine.
"You already know, right? I reported earlier that I was keeping an eye on the head servant in this house?..."
Black gave a short nod.
White continued his report.
"...yeah, I only did it just in case, especially after the restaurant owner's corpse was found."
White scratched his white hair.
"Just now, that head servant attacked one of my team members."
Black leaned slightly forward after hearing that.
White let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms.
"The wounds he inflicted are exactly the same as the ones I saw in the report about the restaurant owner."
Black fell silent for a few moments.
"Are you saying that head servant is the mastermind behind all of this?"
White chuckled and shrugged.
"I don't know…"
He raised his fingers as if counting the strange things that had happened.
"Before the day of the attack, he ate together with the Overmas family's subordinates…"
He held up another finger.
"...after that, the restaurant owner's corpse and the workers were found…"
White counted again.
"...then he attacked my team member, and the wounds he left behind are exactly the same…"
White looked at Black, who was still sitting there calmly.
"...and from his corpse, I could smell demonic energy."
The room became silent for a few moments.
White only stared at him.
A sigh came from the monitor, and Black spoke first.
"What do you want?"
White placed a hand on his waist.
"Help… I can't guard the Bone of Malakar and survive if there's a sudden attack…."
White pointed at Black on the monitor.
"...His Majesty only told me to stay here for a week."
White paused briefly.
"...but this is starting to get beyond my ability, I can't do this like this."
Black scratched his mask and leaned back in his chair.
"No one can go there."
White tilted his head slightly.
"What? What are you talking about, Black? His Majesty said he would support me! That's why I agreed to guard this place!"
Black stretched his body.
"Everyone is busy, they're building cities and guarding their own cities…."
Black pointed at himself and then at the floor.
"You know? Over here, I'm only guarding the palace together with the servants, damn it."
White was silent for a few moments, and even the operator in the same room was left staring blankly.
Black leaned against the back of his chair and looked up at the ceiling.
"There are no teams left, they've all spread out to every city…"
White scratched his hair like an idiot.
"Are you insane? That's impossible."
Black cracked his neck.
"That's what's happening…"
White started pacing back and forth to think, until he stopped when he finally knew what he wanted.
"In that case, I don't need a team. I'm requesting that one of the heads of the great families come here."
Black chuckled, almost laughing.
"The three of them and even the king haven't slept for two days. They're acting as supervisors across the entire territory."
White laughed a little, then his laughter grew louder like a madman. Even the operator hearing him could only shake his head.
White took a deep breath and let it out, then pointed at Black on the monitor.
"Tony Adams. I want that old man to come help guard that cursed artifact."
Black thought for a moment.
"He can't…"
White answered in confusion.
"What?..."
Black began explaining his reason.
"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be here right now…."
White tilted his head, confused by everything happening.
"...he and the professors, along with the fourth- and fifth-year students, are building and guarding an entire city by themselves…"
White scratched his head with both hands and thought again for a few moments.
"Kentaro! The Kentaro family! Their city wasn't attacked!...."
White nodded, feeling sure his request would be granted.
"...send a few people and I'll guard the Bone of Malakar for a month."
Black clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.
"They can't leave the northern border right now…."
White shouted in disappointment after hearing what Black said.
"Why?! They weren't attacked."
Black covered his mask with his palm, his head throbbing.
"The news only arrived a few hours ago…."
White tried to listen to his explanation.
Black continued with a sigh.
"...a Corruption Giant has been clearly sighted, and there are also mystical creatures following it. It's only a matter of time before they break through the mystical barrier and the physical barrier…"
White's shoulders slumped with every word Black spoke.
"...the Kentaro family will become the first line of support, and His Majesty likely won't even attend the Overmas hearing."
White almost yanked out his white hair as he laughed madly.
Black, seeing him like that, spoke.
"Hold out at least until the hearing. After that, Thomas, Adan, or Russ will take over."
White chuckled and looked at Black, this time his voice becoming more serious.
"I have a bad feeling, Black."
Black let out a sigh and tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair.
"What are you afraid of? That mansion is still within His Majesty's attack radius, and if something really happens, I'll head there immediately."
White nodded weakly.
"That is true…."
Black spoke again.
"Hold out until the hearing, everyone is busy here."
White clicked his tongue and fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, he thought of somethingm
He turned toward the operator.
"Is Eveline Jergis coming here tomorrow?"
The operator looked at his monitor for a moment and nodded.
"Arthur, Mira, and one guard will also be coming, sir."
White rubbed his hands together and chuckled.
He pointed at Black on the monitor.
"I've already found my help, bastard!"
Black only stared at him in silence.
"If you think about it, all of these problems are because of the four great families, right?!"
White chuckled madly, and perhaps a sly grin could be seen behind his mask.
"Their children are coming tomorrow, I'll make them stay here until the hearing."
White combed through his hair and reminded Black.
"Don't tell Thomas, Adan, or Russ. I'm going to keep their children here as support."
Black chuckled and waved his hand, showing he didn't care.
"I don't care. If they're there, wouldn't that only add to your burden if an attack happens?"
White shrugged, not listening to Black.
"I don't care…."
Black gave a slight nod.
"Send an emergency signal if an attack happens, I'll head there immediately while the king sends an attack package as support."
White took a breath and let it out.
"Yeah… don't be late, friend."
The screen turned blue again and slowly went dark.
White looked at the operator.
"What time is it now?"
The operator answered briefly.
"Four in the afternoon, sir."
White nodded and walked out.
"Be careful, I don't know if there are still any infiltrators."
The operator nodded.
The evening sunlight slowly blanketed the mansion that had become quiet once again, and the corridors were now empty.
In the treatment room, a man lay there with claw wounds on his stomach, and he was the only one in the room.
A smile slowly formed on his face, and his eyes opened, revealing his green pupils.
After a few moments, his green eyes changed into reptilian eyes.
The man smiled widely.
His shadow now left his body.
It slipped through the narrow gap beneath the door.
The shadow moved across the floor, walls, and ceiling of the corridor until it finally merged into one of the shadows.
It merged with the shadow of one of the masked men.
----
The orange glow of dusk began to cover the southern region. In the middle of the barren desert, a great city stood firmly.
Its walls looked majestic, as if they could never be breached.
Inside were various buildings where the beastmen lived, and in the center stood a magnificent palace. The pride of the beastmen.
And in one of its corners, Alex sat cross-legged.
His face and body were bathed in orange light, his eyes closed, his legs folded, and his body completely motionless. Only beads of sweat dripped from his temples.
Slowly, smoke began to rise from his body.
His breathing became rough, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
His heart beat faster and faster, so fast that any beastman nearby would probably turn to look.
After some time, his heart finally returned to a normal rhythm.
A faint smile formed on his lips, and his eyes slowly opened. His black eyes seemed to smile as well.
'How is it, Krystal?...'
Krystal, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
'Not bad….'
One of Alex's eyebrows twitched upward.
'What do you mean, "not bad"?! I just advanced to D+ and formed my second soul core…'
Krystal clicked his tongue, not caring about what Alex said.
'Ahh, that's already not interesting… I already saw the second soul core in your soul memory, it's in your heart, right?'
Alex gave a short nod, watching the orange glow slowly fade away. His clothes were now soaked with sweat.
His breathing was still rough.
Alex suddenly remembered something that had been bothering him.
'Hey, hey, you owe me an explanation about that Saint, you know? She kept smiling when she looked at me, damn it?!'
Krystal chuckled and went silent for a while.
'Actually….'
Alex's expression changed rapidly as Krystal began explaining.
By the end of the explanation, Alex almost shouted, but he held it in and instead cursed Krystal in his mind.
'How is that possible?! How could you meet her?!'
Krystal answered weakly.
'I don't know…. she just came to my place…'
A sigh could be heard from Krystal.
'...I thought when she was channeling her holy energy, she was only doing it from outside… but she came all the way in here, damn it!'
Alex clicked his tongue and bit his nail.
'Then what now? Are we going to get chained up?'
Krystal fell silent for a few moments.
'Probably not, if you become a good boy.'
Alex swallowed hard, sweat pouring down his back.
'It's better to stay away from her, right?'
Krystal agreed with what Alex said.
Alex stroked his chin.
'So you also have a physical appearance? Do you see me like watching a movie or something?'
Krystal answered proudly.
'Of course, damn it! But before, I wasn't aware of it…'
'...I only realized it when you advanced for the first time.'
Alex nodded, beginning to understand Krystal.
'So that's how it is…'
Alex scratched at his skin, which was slowly becoming itchy.
'Will you be able to manifest your physical form someday?'
Krystal was silent for a few moments.
'Maybe…. I'm not sure.'
Krystal clicked his tongue.
'Forget it… after you reached D+, a lot of information came in. I need to look through it first.'
Alex stretched his stiff body.
'In that case, I'm going to check on Katarina while she's making potions….'