Ryan and Elric stood at the edge of the pit, staring into the darkness that stretched endlessly beneath the ruined house. This was where Ryan had fought before, but now, something felt different—worse.
"Do you have any idea what this is?" Ryan asked, his voice low.
Elric shook his head, his expression grim. "Never seen corruption like this."
The pit's walls pulsed with twisted, red growths, their surface slick and pulsating, as if alive. Anything that touched them had succumbed to corruption, warping into something unnatural.
"Maybe it was some kind of ritual?" Ryan suggested.
"Either way, we have to go down and find out."
Without hesitation, Elric hovered into the air, descending slowly into the abyss.
Ryan sighed. "Of course we do."
Then, he followed suit, gliding downward.
As they ventured deeper, a small orb of light appeared between them. Though no bigger than a fist, its glow was powerful enough to illuminate the vast hollow space around them.
The deeper they went, the wider the pit became. Gnarled tree branches jutted out from the walls, twisting unnaturally, their bark marred with crimson streaks. They coiled like snakes, reaching toward the intruders as if they were alive and waiting.
After nearly five minutes of descent, their feet finally touched the ground.
Ryan exhaled, glancing around. The air was thick, heavy with decay. "That was deeper than I expected."
Elric, however, was focused on something ahead—a massive, yawning cave entrance, its depths shrouded in absolute darkness. His muscles tensed.
"Something's coming," he muttered. His fist ignited, glowing with golden blazing mana.
Then, from the black void, a monstrous tree-like creature emerged, its body composed of knotted branches and writhing tendrils. It was just like the corrupted guardian Ryan had fought before, only smaller.
Before it could charge, Elric punched the air, unleashing a wave of golden force. The blast tore through the creature, sending debris and dust flying. When the air cleared, only a shattered stump remained, its upper half obliterated.
Ryan smirked. "I see you still have your fire of youth."
Elric chuckled. "You think I'm going to lose to these new kids?" He laughed.
They pressed forward, advancing into the cave, where more of the twisted tree creatures lurched from the shadows. But none of them stood a chance—Elric tore through them with relentless precision.
After cutting down several tree-like monsters, Ryan and Elric finally reached the heart of the cavern—a vast, open chamber pulsing with the same red corruption that lined the pit.
At the center of the room, the corruption had gathered into a massive, grotesque egg, its pulsating surface almost translucent, revealing something shifting inside.
Ryan took a cautious step forward, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell is that?"
Elric's gaze darkened. "Something that needs to be destroyed."
As he spoke, a powerful aura began to emanate from his body. The very air trembled with his growing energy. The corruption reacted violently, its tendrils surging toward them from every direction, as if drawn to Elric's power. But he didn't even glance at them.
His mana output intensified, turning the cave into a storm of raw energy. The tendrils froze mid-air, unable to approach. Then, with one swift motion, he raised his fist and punched the empty space before him.
A shockwave erupted.
The sheer force of his attack sent the corrupt egg hurtling backward, slamming it into the cave wall with a deafening boom. But instead of getting destroyed, cracks splintered across its surface, spreading like veins of broken glass.
Elric tilted his head, intrigued. "It endured my attack? Interesting."
Ryan scowled. "That's not interesting at all."
The cracks deepened, and then—
SHATTER!
With the sound of breaking glass, the egg split apart, a thick, red, gelatinous liquid oozing onto the cavern floor.
From within the remains, a figure slowly stirred.
Its muscles writhed unnaturally, struggling to take proper form. It flexed its limbs in spasmodic jerks, adjusting to its own existence. Then, after a few moments of grotesque twitching, it finally stood upright.
It was humanoid in shape—tall and lean, with two massive wings folded against its back, leathery like those of a dragon. Its face resembled a human's, yet something was fundamentally wrong.
Its nose was flat, its stretched eyes gleamed with malice, and beneath its pale skin, red veins pulsed with the same corruption that filled the cavern.
Ryan's breath hitched. "That thing... it looks like a Vampire Lord."
Elric's gaze sharpened. "Yes… but a Vampire Lord's face is human. This creature's face is inhuman."
He glanced around the cavern and noticed several corpses half-submerged in the twisted roots and walls, their bodies warped and lifeless.
"My guess? Someone was experimenting on vampires… and something went horribly wrong."
Before they could say more, the creature suddenly snapped its head toward them, its empty eyes narrowing.
Then, it screamed—a piercing, guttural shriek that shook the cavern.
Ryan grimaced, covering his ears. "Not even minutes old and already so impatient."
At that moment, the cave trembled.
The surrounding corruption pulsed, and dozens of tree monsters began to emerge from the walls, their jagged limbs twisting as they crawled toward the intruders.
Elric didn't even flinch. His gaze remained locked on the creature.
"Can I leave these things to you?" he asked.
Ryan cracked his knuckles. "Of course."
The moment he answered, the monster vanished—only to reappear above Elric in an instant, bringing its fist down with devastating force.
BOOM!
The shockwave shook the cavern, sending debris flying.
As the dust settled, the creature's narrow, monstrous eyes widened in disbelief. Its attack had been stopped.
Not dodged. Not blocked. Just stopped—effortlessly—by Elric's wrist.
A grin spread across Elric's face. "It's been years since I had fun."
A surge of golden mana exploded from his body, sending the monster flying backward.
Then, without breaking his stance, Elric casually tore off his shirt and tossed it aside.
Beneath it, his massive, battle-hardened muscles gleamed under the cavern's dim, corrupted glow.
Ryan sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh great, now he's serious. Just try not to bring the cave down on us, will you?"
Elric and the monster locked eyes for a tense moment before exploding into motion.
In an instant, the distance between them vanished, and a frenzied exchange of fists began. Neither of them dodged nor defended—instead, they traded blow for blow, as if trying to prove who was stronger.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each collision of their fists sent shockwaves rippling through the cavern. The monster struck with ferocity, its corrupted muscles flexing, but no matter how many times its punches connected—Elric's grin never wavered.
Slowly, the tide shifted.
The creature, though monstrous in strength, began losing ground.
Elric delivered a thunderous punch to its chest, sending it hurtling backward. It slammed into the cave wall, the impact shaking the entire chamber.
The creature let out another ear-splitting shriek and raised its arms, summoning a whirling tornado of blood that twisted and howled around Elric, seeking to tear him apart.
But it never touched him.
The sheer density of his mana created an unseen barrier, repelling the crimson vortex like an unbreakable wall.
Elric scoffed, rolling his shoulders. "Tch. You're weaker than I thought." His golden aura flared. "Let's end this."
Then he vanished. In the blink of an eye, he cut through the tornado, his speed so overwhelming that the monster barely had time to react.
With a final, devastating punch, Elric's fist—now blazing with pure golden mana—slammed into the creature's stomach.
BOOM!
The force launched the monster like a cannonball, sending it crashing through the cave wall, tearing through solid rock as if it were paper.
Ryan barely had time to curse before the cave trembled violently—cracks spreading across the ceiling.
The entire half of the cavern where the monster had been was collapsing.
"Hey! You're destroying the cave!" Ryan shouted.
Before Elric could respond, the corruption in the room began to shift, writhing like a living mass toward the spot where the monster had been blasted away.
"It's not over yet…"
Even the tree monsters started to crumble, their remains disintegrating into streams of red energy, all merging toward the buried creature.
For a moment, everything fell silent.
Then a blur of motion erupted from beneath the collapsed rock, moving so fast it was almost invisible.
Elric barely had time to react.
The force slammed into him, sending him flying backward, his body crashing into the wall with a deep, thunderous impact.
Ryan's eyes widened as he turned toward the thing that attacked him.
The monster was still alive.
But now, its form had changed—its skin darker, its muscles denser, and its presence heavier. The red corruption pulsed through its veins, throbbing with unnatural energy.
Ryan's expression darkened. "Did it absorb all of that corruption…?"
The monster's gaze locked onto him, preparing to strike. But before it could move the entire cave trembled.
From where Elric had been thrown, a golden light burst forth, illuminating the cavern like a miniature sun.
His figure emerged, bathed in a brilliant yellow aura, his eyes now pure white. Around him, the stones floated, suspended by the force of his mana.
When he spoke, his voice carried an unseen pressure, thick like the weight of the air before a storm.
"Ryan, be ready to get out. I'm destroying this place."
Ryan muttered under his breath, "Shit… he's serious now."
The monster let out a deafening shriek, its rage shaking the cavern walls. But before the sound could even fade, Elric vanished.
A blink. A flicker of golden light.
BOOM!
Elric reappeared beneath the creature and drove his fist straight into its gut. The monster's eyes widened in horror. It had no time to react.
A massive explosion erupted upward, tearing through the earth itself. If someone had been standing above ground, they would have seen a pillar of golden energy shooting into the sky—like a divine spear piercing the heavens.
The creature didn't even get the chance to scream. Its body shattered into nothingness, consumed by the force of the blast.
Ryan rushed toward Elric.
"Jump into my shadow!"
Without hesitation, Ryan stepped into his shadow, his body sinking into the darkness as if it were liquid. With a single, mighty leap, Elric soared upward, following the path carved by his own attack.
He burst through the surface, landing beside the freshly made crater. Ryan emerged from the shadows beside him and together, they watched as the ground beneath them rumbled and sank, collapsing inward to fill the void left by the battle. Within minutes, the entire landscape had changed.
Ryan let out a long breath. "Well… I think it's over."
Elric cracked his knuckles, his golden aura fading. "Luckily, we got to that thing fast. It was only A-rank."
Ryan inwardly laughed. This old man was terrifying. He hadn't even used his domain.
…
Leo sat at a table in the main hall of the League, deep in thought. His mind kept circling back to the Hallucination Trap spell—how it worked and where he could use it.
His thoughts were interrupted when a familiar trio approached—Henry, Emily, and Betty.
Emily and Betty sat down beside him while Henry placed four gold coins on the table.
"Here. This is your share," Henry said.
Leo glanced at the coins, then at Henry, puzzled.
"This is four. Shouldn't it be two?"
"Don't worry," Henry reassured him. "I didn't add our share to yours—I figured you wouldn't like that. The League just increased the reward since the mission turned out to be way harder than expected."
Leo nodded, accepting the coins without further question.
Then, as if remembering something, he looked up at Henry.
"By the way… do you know how much a house in the capital costs?"
Emily's eyes widened. "Wait—you're leaving?"
Leo met her gaze calmly. "That was always our destination. Once Ryan returns from his mission, we'll be heading there."
Emily fell silent, but her expression darkened, making it clear she wasn't happy about the news.
Henry, waiting for the conversation to end, finally responded. "A house for rent is around—"
"Not rent. Buy." Leo corrected him.
Henry blinked in surprise. "To buy? Are you sure?"
Leo nodded.
Henry leaned back, rubbing his chin in thought. "I don't know the exact price in the capital, but here, a normal house costs around six hundred gold. I'd guess it's more expensive there—maybe seven hundred? And if you want a place in the upper ground, it's definitely over a thousand."
Leo frowned slightly. "What's the upper ground?"
"You don't know?" Henry studied him for a moment, then nodded to himself. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Leo didn't respond, just waited for him to continue.
"The capital of the Magic Kingdom has two parts," Henry explained. "One is built on the ground, like a normal city. But the other…" he paused for effect, "is floating in the air."
Leo's eyes widened. "A floating city?"
Henry smirked. "Yep. Think of it like a massive castle, with towering buildings, sky bridges, and glowing spires. It's a sight you won't forget."
Leo's fingers unconsciously tightened around the gold coins in his hand.
A floating city… That was something he had to see.