The exit of the Shadow Forest dungeon vibrated as the heavy magic barrier opened.
Ethan walked toward the sunset light, but this time, he no longer dragged his feet or gasped under the crushing weight of backpacks.
Now, his step was firm and his eyes, now tinged with a predatory violet, shone with intensity.
At his side, Seraphina walked with lethal elegance, her metallic wings folded against her back and her spear held firmly in her right hand.
Every time her armored boots touched the ground, a small shockwave of mana rippled out from her, forcing the grass to wither in her presence.
'Level 22,' thought Ethan, observing the semi-transparent screen that only he could see.
'Clearing the rest of the dungeon with Seraphina was… boring.' He thought, perplexed. It was something he had never imagined possible.
The presence of the Valkyrie, however, had surpassed all his expectations time and again. The beasts did not only fall under her spear.
Her mere presence made the dungeon monsters flee in terror wherever they passed.
"My Lord, I have detected multiple weak energy signatures a few kilometers from here," Seraphina spoke, her voice sounding like a sharpened blade.
"Many of them emit a frequency similar to the cowards who abandoned you. Do you wish for me to fly over the area and reduce their settlements to ashes?"
Ethan let out a soft laugh. Her personality had also turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
"Not yet, Seraphina. Death is too merciful. I want them to suffer for what they have done to me."
As they approached the city gates, Ethan could see the usual bustle of adventurers.
However, in the central plaza, in front of the Great Guild, an unusual crowd had gathered.
On an improvised wooden platform stood Kevin, his golden armor shining under the rays of the sun.
Lucia stood at his side, her head low and a handkerchief pressed to her cheeks, apparently wiping away tears.
"It was a tragedy!" shouted Kevin, his voice amplified by a basic resonance spell.
"That Shadow Chimera emerged from nowhere. Ethan... he sacrificed himself for us. He ran toward the beast to give us the seconds needed to activate the scroll. He died to save us!"
Murmurs of pity ran through the crowd. Some veteran adventurers toasted with their beer mugs in honor of the "poor dead porter."
"It's a pity," whispered a warrior in the audience. "So young and without talent, but with a heart of gold."
'Heart of gold...' thought Ethan, feeling his stomach churn.
'Not only did he use me as bait, but now he is using my death to clean his reputation and raise his popularity rank. It is pathetic.'
Ethan walked until he stopped a few meters from the edge of the crowd. Seraphina tensed, her right hand caressing the handle of her lightning spear.
"My Lord... Allow me to silence him," she said, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Wait for the right moment," Ethan ordered in a low voice.
On the platform, a Guild official approached Kevin with a heavy leather bag.
"You have done well, boy. In the name of the Guild, we will compensate your bravery with a special payment of 5,000 gold coins, along with the value of the dungeon loot."
Kevin extended his hand, a victorious smile hidden behind a mask of sadness.
But just as his fingers were about to touch the gold, a voice as cold as absolute ice cut through the air of the plaza.
"Wow. I didn't know my life was worth so little."
The silence that followed was so heavy that the sound of a falling needle would have been heard like thunder.
The crowd tensed and quickly made way, pushing each other aside—not out of courtesy, but out of fear.
An indescribable terror enveloped them as the presence of the two approaching figures was released.
Kevin stood petrified, his hand trembling visibly in the air, just centimeters from the bag of gold.
Lucia raised her head sharply, her eyes opening so wide they seemed ready to pop out of their orbits.
The handkerchief fell from her hand, revealing her cheeks. To no one's surprise, they were completely dry.
"E-Ethan?" stammered Kevin, his face turning pale, almost gray.
"How... how is it possible? I saw you die! The Chimera pierced you!"
Ethan approached the platform.
His torn clothes revealed defined muscles and strange purple marks that now ran across his skin.
"It would have been convenient, wouldn't it? You kicked me toward death and expected to walk away without paying the price."
"You lie!" shouted Lucia, regaining a bit of composure, although her voice still trembled.
"You are under an illusion effect! Ethan was a useless Rank F; you cannot be him! Look at his aura—it's dark! He is a monster in disguise!"
Kevin looked at Lucia, then back at Ethan, before unsheathing his sword.
"It's true! This impostor killed the real Ethan and took his form to attack us! Guards, end this beast!"
The guild guards hesitated, confused by the intense pressure they felt. Kevin, desperate to hide his crime, charged forward.
"Die again, scum!"
Ethan didn't even move.
He didn't need to.
"Seraphina," he whispered.
In a burst of speed that no eye could follow, the Valkyrie appeared in front of Ethan.
With a casual movement of her spear, she blocked Kevin's sword.
The impact was so strong that Kevin's blade cracked just before he was sent flying backward, rolling across the stone floor until he slammed against the platform.
Seraphina deployed her six metallic wings, releasing a spiritual pressure so immense that everyone in the plaza—even a Rank A adventurer nearby—fell to their knees, unable to bear the weight of the Void.
"Do you dare lift your cheap steel against my Sovereign?" roared Seraphina.
Her voice was not human; it was a vibration that made the bones of everyone present resonate with pain.
"Do you wish for me to tear out your tongue for all the lies you have spat?"
Kevin looked up, his pants wet from pure terror.
His arrogance had evaporated, replaced by the understanding that he was facing something that surpassed all logic.
"S-Sovereign?" stammered the Guild official, looking at Ethan with wonder and dread. "What class of summoning is that? Rank S... no, Rank SS?"
Ethan walked slowly toward Kevin, passing in front of a sobbing Lucia who was trembling on the ground. For the first time, her tears were real.
Ethan didn't even look at her; she no longer existed for him.
He stopped in front of Kevin and picked up the bag of 5,000 gold coins that had fallen to the floor.
"You said I sacrificed myself for you," Ethan said, bending down to look Kevin in the eyes.
"Consider this my payment for the service. And Kevin... this is only the beginning. You are not going to die today. I want you to live long enough to see how I take away everything you believe you possess. Your rank, your fame... and your sanity."
Ethan turned around, his tattered cloak waving in the wind. Seraphina followed him, maintaining her murderous gaze over the crowd until they disappeared into the shadows of a side street.
No one dared to follow them. In that moment, the entire city knew that the order of things had changed.
The "Porter" had not returned.
Something much more dangerous had arrived.