Six Months Later…
Beginner City The City Lord's Castle
Inside the massive stone hall, a heavy silence hung in the air. Torches mounted on the walls flickered, their flames casting long shadows across the cold stone floor.
Then the silence shattered.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN TWELVE VILLAGES HAVE DISAPPEARED?!"
The City Lord's roar echoed through the hall like thunder.
His face was red with anger, and when his fist slammed onto the heavy oak table, even the thick wood creaked under the force.
A soldier kneeling in the center of the hall trembled with fear.
"L-Lord…!"
His throat felt dry.
"We were sent to Violet Village to collect supplies of violet flowers for the annual Love Festival. But when we arrived… there was no one there."
The City Lord's brows furrowed deeply.
The soldier continued nervously.
"The houses were empty, my lord. Doors were left open… but there was no sign of anyone inside. The village also appeared extremely neglected. It looked as if no one had lived there for a very long time."
The soldier took a shaky breath.
"So we decided to inspect the nearby villages as well… and discovered that 12 out of the 35 villages under Beginner City's jurisdiction were in the same condition."
The entire hall fell silent.
The City Lord's eyes slowly widened.
Then his face darkened with terrifying fury.
"USELESS FOOLS!"
His roar shook the hall once again.
"How do you fail to notice that thousands of people have disappeared?!"
He stood up abruptly and walked down from the throne with heavy steps.
His eyes burned with rage.
"Twelve villages…"
His voice became colder now, but the fury inside it was still obvious.
"That's at least three thousand people."
The soldiers in the hall lowered their heads even further.
The City Lord clenched his fists.
"And you dare tell me…"
"…that no one noticed anything?"
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then the City Lord gave a sharp command.
"Immediately arrest the guards responsible for those regions."
His voice turned icy.
"Anyone who failed to fulfill their duty…"
"…will be executed."
The soldiers' faces turned pale.
But none of them dared to object.
The City Lord turned toward the window and looked out over the distant streets of Beginner City.
Yet in his mind, only one thought remained.
The Captain of the Royal Guards finally spoke after a long moment of silence.
"Lord Wu Wei… do you think this could be the work of a Evil Spirit Master?"
Lord Wu Wei continued staring out the window, his hands clasped behind his back. The city stretched far below him, lanterns slowly lighting the streets as evening approached.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he shook his head slowly.
"No."
His voice was calm, but heavy.
"An Evil Spirit Master would not carry out a massacre this… cleanly."
He turned slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing as he thought about the report again.
"Twelve villages. Thousands of people gone."
His gaze darkened.
"Yet there are almost no traces of battle. No widespread destruction. No corpses left behind."
He paused for a moment.
"Evil Spirit Masters are cruel and reckless. They enjoy chaos. Blood. Panic."
His voice became colder.
"They would not leave behind such… silence."
The guard captain felt a chill run down his spine.
He hesitated before speaking again.
"Then… could it be…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…a Spirit Beast?"
For a moment the room became very quiet.
The captain swallowed nervously.
"But if that's the case…"
His expression became tense.
"For a spirit beast to carry out such a clean and systematic slaughter, it would need intelligence and awareness far beyond normal beasts."
He took a breath.
"That would mean…"
His voice became slightly hoarse.
"…it couldn't be anything less than a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast."
Lord Wu Wei slowly shook his head. He continued standing by the window, his eyes still looking out over the city, yet his gaze carried a heavy weight of thought.
"I don't know…"
His voice was lower this time.
"And I hope it isn't."
He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"If it truly is a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast, then I will be forced to report it to the Empire."
As he spoke, the muscles on his face tightened.
"Because neither I… nor any Spirit Master within Beginner City… is strong enough to stop even the weakest Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast."
The atmosphere in the hall grew even heavier.
The Captain of the Guards frowned and stepped forward slightly.
"My lord… then should we not report this to the central authority immediately?"
Lord Wu Wei slowly turned around.
The look he gave the captain was as if he were staring at a complete fool.
"You may do that if you wish."
His voice turned icy.
"If you want both your head and my head to roll… go ahead and report it."
The captain froze.
Wu Wei walked a few steps across the stone floor, the sound of his heavy boots echoing through the hall.
Then he stopped and spoke in a cold, sharp tone.
"What exactly will you tell the Empire?"
His eyes flashed with dark anger.
"That twelve villages have disappeared?"
He stepped closer.
"That thousands of people vanished… while the City Lord failed to notice it for six entire months?"
No one in the hall dared to even breathe loudly.
Wu Wei clenched his teeth.
"The Empire doesn't ask questions first."
His voice dropped dangerously low.
"They execute the responsible parties first."
He locked eyes with the captain.
"And believe me… the first two names on that list will be you and me."
Sensing the tense atmosphere in the hall, Lord Wu Wei's assistant cautiously stepped forward.
"My lord… please do not worry."
His voice was respectful but careful.
"Ten-thousand-year spirit beasts are usually extremely territorial. They rarely approach human settlements. Besides, you are a Level 48 Spirit Ancestor. You should not be completely helpless against an ordinary ten-thousand-year spirit beast."
Before he could finish speaking, Lord Wu Wei turned sharply toward him.
There was clear anger in his eyes.
"What do you know about the power of a ten-thousand-year spirit beast?"
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Level 48?"
He let out a bitter laugh.
"Even if I were a Level 59 Spirit King, the best I could hope for would be escaping with my life."
His words hung heavily in the air.
No one dared to respond.
…
Meanwhile…
The true culprit behind all of these events
Aethryon stood quietly at the entrance of the Swamp Region of the Beginner Forest.
His long crimson body coiled across the muddy ground.
His tongue flicked through the air.
As if he were searching for the scent of his next prey.