The next morning arrived quietly.
But inside the training hall…
everyone could feel the tension.
Students stood in groups, whispering among themselves.
"Today is the second mission…"
"I wonder what it'll be like…"
Excitement and fear mixed in the air.
Then—
Mr. Stone stepped forward.
The room fell silent.
His expression was serious.
"Listen carefully," he said.
"This mission will not be like your previous one."
Everyone straightened up.
"Ghosts… have ranks."
A slight murmur spread across the room.
"They are called Death Lords."
He continued:
"Fourth Rank — the weakest."
"Third Rank — stronger."
"Second Rank — far more dangerous."
"First Rank — extremely powerful."
The students listened carefully.
"The ones you fought before…"
He paused.
"They don't even belong to these ranks."
Silence.
Some students felt nervous.
Some felt excited.
"For now, you will face only the lowest level," Mr. Stone said.
"But as your rank increases… you will face stronger enemies."
He looked at everyone.
"So don't be careless."
Mission Start
After the briefing, the students were divided into groups.
Daniel, David, Mary, and Noah stood together.
Nearby, Felix, Lucis, Zoya, and Lily formed another group.
Mr stone stepped forward
he raised his hand—
And small glowing lights appeared.
Each group received one.
"These lights will guide you to your mission location," he said.
"They will never be wrong."
"Follow them."
The lights floated gently in front of each group.
"Now go."
The Journey
Daniel's group began walking, following their guiding light.
At first, everything seemed normal.
But after some time—
They stopped.
In front of them…
A forest.
A familiar one.
David frowned.
"Wait… isn't this the same place?"
Mary looked confused.
"Did we come to the wrong location?"
No shook his head calmly.
"The guide can't be wrong."
He looked at the light.
"We can be wrong. Not this."
David sighed nervously.
"I don't like forests…"
Mary smirked slightly.
"And what do you like?"
A small laugh escaped them—
But the tension remained.
"Let's go," Daniel said.
And they stepped inside.
The Empty Village
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
They walked deeper.
Searching.
Looking for any sign of danger.
But—
Nothing.
Until…
They found a village.
Daniel stopped.
"…Something's wrong."
There were houses.
Paths.
Signs of life.
But no people.
"No one's here…" Mary whispered.
To search faster, they split up.
The Hidden Children
Time passed.
Nearly two hours.
Then—
No found something.
Two children.
Hiding behind broken wooden walls.
They looked scared.
Hungry.
Weak.
No slowly approached them.
"Hey… it's okay."
The children flinched.
"It's alright," he said gently.
Soon, Daniel and David arrived.
The older boy, around 7 or 8, spoke with a trembling voice:
"Two days ago… everyone started acting strange…"
"They laughed… moved weirdly…"
"Their bodies turned dark…"
"They wouldn't listen to us…"
His voice shook.
"One by one… they all left…"
"We tried to stop them… but they didn't respond…"
The younger child clung to him tightly.
"We hid here…"
"For three days…"
Tears filled his eyes.
"We're scared…"
Mary's Side
Meanwhile…
Mary had gone farther into the village.
That's when she saw—
An old man.
Sitting still.
His body looked dark… almost unnatural.
"Sir?" she asked, walking closer.
She gently shook him.
"What happened?"
Suddenly—
The man attacked.
Mary stepped back in shock.
Without thinking, she quickly shot an arrow at his leg.
He stumbled.
At that moment—
Daniel, David, and No arrived.
"Mary!" Daniel called.
They pulled her back and hid.
Then they noticed—
The old man stood up again.
And started walking.
Like nothing happened.
Like he wasn't in control.
Following the Truth
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"…We follow him."
The others nodded.
They quietly followed the old man through the forest.
Deeper…
And deeper…
Until they reached—
A cave.
The Cave
Inside—
A horrifying sight.
Dozens of villagers sat on the ground.
Completely still.
Their eyes faintly glowing.
And in front of them—
A ghost.
Controlling them.
Mary whispered,
"…So this is the reason."
Suddenly—
The ghost stopped.
"I sense… someone not under my control."
Its head turned slowly—
Toward them.
"You."
With a wave of its hand—
Knives appeared in the villagers' hands.
"Kill them."
The Battle
The villagers rushed forward.
"Get ready!" Daniel shouted.
Mary stepped back.
"I'll attack from a distance!"
She fired arrows—
But couldn't focus.
"They're too close!"
A villager rushed at her—
Clang!
Daniel blocked it just in time.
"Stay behind me!"
Mary nodded, breathing fast.
"Thank you…"
"No need," Daniel said.
Holding Back
They fought carefully.
Dodging.
Blocking.
Pushing villagers away.
"We can't hurt them!" Mary said.
David gritted his teeth.
"Then we'll just defend!"
No added,
"The ghost is the key!"
Final Fight
They grew tired.
Slower.
Weaker.
Then—
The ghost stepped forward.
"I'll end this."
Daniel looked at the others.
"Together."
David trapped it.
No attacked quickly.
Mary aimed—
And released her arrow.
It hit.
"Now!"
Daniel rushed forward and struck with full force.
The ghost lost control—
And disappeared.
End
The villagers collapsed.
Safe.
The cave became silent.
Daniel took one step—
Then fell.
One by one—
All four collapsed.
Exhausted.
Injured.
Unconscious.