Ahrie and Min sprinted toward the Embergarde gate, dirt flying under their boots—only to be blocked by a pair of enraged tree imps.

One of them twisted its arms into pike-like spears and launched a flurry of thrusts at Min.

Min twisted and dodged each strike, ducking and weaving like it was just another warmup drill.

Then launched a counter at the tree imp using his knife…

Hehe… Brrrttt! Brrrt! Min launched a multiple stab in one spot…

+1 Exp

The other imp morphed its arms into whip-like vines and brought them down toward

Ahrie's head.

Ahrie sidestepped at the last second and thrust his rapier into its skull—

THUNK!

The blade hit solid bark, and the shock made Ahrie's arm tremble.

"Tchh—! Hard-ass bastards…" he hissed, shaking off the vibration.

A faint text flickered across his vision:

+1 Exp.

"Ughhh… this annoying exp…" Ahrie muttered, glancing at Min.

They both froze.

"Wait… we didn't get EXP from the butter-flies," Ahrie said, squinting.

Min frowned. "Yeah… you're right. Something ain't—"

PUCK!

A hopper rammed into Ahrie's back like a battering ram, launching him across the dirt.

"Fuuuckkk—!"

He rolled several times before crashing to a stop.

"Ahrie!" Min shouted, about to rush over—

Then—

Crunch.

"OWWWW!"

He stepped on a small sharp stone. Min instantly collapsed, clutching his foot dramatically.

"Awww… nooooo… urghhhh…" he groaned, already striking a corpse pose.

Ahrie pushed himself up, bloodied but grinning like a madman.

He pointed his rapier straight at the hopper.

"Fight me head-on, motherfuck—r!"

Ahrie and the hopper faced each other—eye to eye, still as statues.

Neither moved. Both waited for the other to twitch first.

Then—

BOOM!

A sudden explosion tore through the clouds above, echoing across the battlefield.

It was enough of a cue.

Both lunged forward at the same time.

The hopper suddenly stopped mid-run, its legs compressing like loaded springs—

then SNAP! it launched itself forward.

Ahrie backflipped.

The hopper's claws cut through where he'd been a heartbeat ago, missing by inches.

While upside down, Ahrie twisted his body and thrust midair, aiming straight for its spine—

CLANG!

The hopper's tail whipped up, deflecting the blow like a steel bar.

Ahrie hit the ground on both feet, skidding a few steps back, dirt spraying beneath his boots.

He grinned.

"Alright, tough guy…"

He dashed forward again.

The hopper halted, crouching low, and screeched—a shrill sound that shook the grass around them.

Ahrie smirked, unbothered.

"Yeah, that won't work on me, you stupid fuck."

The hopper's claws flexed.

It slashed—fast and heavy.

Ahrie raised his rapier, blocking the hit. Sparks flashed on impact.

He used the momentum—

twisted his torso, spun, switched his grip mid-motion—

and brought his blade down in a counter-slash that carried the force of both their strikes.

Ahrie beheaded the hopper clean—one sharp swing and its head spun off, landing with a dull thud.

He exhaled, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Whew… finally."

Then he noticed Min sprawled across the dirt a few meters away—arms out, eyes shut, looking suspiciously peaceful for someone in a battlefield.

Ahrie walked over, brow furrowed.

"Oiii… what's up."

No answer.

He crouched beside him. "Oiii…"

Still nothing.

Ahrie sighed, tapped him with his foot.

No response.

So he kicked him.

"OUUHHH!" Min groaned, clutching his ribs. "Bro, seriously?! Is there a corpse that talks back, huh?!"

Ahrie paused, rubbing his chin.

"…Good point."

Then he grinned, leaning close.

"Wanna become one though?"

The look in Ahrie's eyes—half-crazy, half-playful—made Min's spine tingle.

"Nah, nah, I'll pass, bud," Min said quickly, forcing a laugh.

Ahrie chuckled and helped him up, brushing dirt off his shoulder.

Now standing, Min stretched and groaned.

"Man… where the hell's Shiven anyway?"

Ahrie squinted toward the horizon.

"Haven't seen the guy since we got here…"

Somewhere deep in the forest…

Shiven was gasping for air—lungs burning, legs trembling—as a dozen monsters chased him through the underbrush.

Their snarls echoed behind him.

"No more… please… huff… huff… just let me live…" he wheezed, stumbling through.

Meanwhile—

Ahrie and Min sat slumped near Embergarde's gate.

They watched wave after wave of Seekers come and go—

The battle behind them still raged

"Damn…" Ahrie muttered, dropping flat on his back. "This place is fucking exhausting as hell."

"Yeah…" Min agreed, eyes blank

Around them, the Glimmerfen Seekers trickled back through the gate—battered but smiling. The leader spotted Ahrie and Min.

"Oh, you two are with us, right?" he called out. "We're holding a small celebration for finishing the extermination. You coming?"

"Sure."

"Yep."

Both answered without thinking, nodding weakly.

"Great! See you at the restaurant!" the leader grinned and turned away.

Ahrie blinked.

Min squinted.

"…Wait."

"Wait!"

"OI! WHERE?!" Ahrie shouted, sitting up.

"WE DON'T HAVE SOME FUCKING TRACKER!" Min added.

The Glimmerfen Seekers, already halfway down the street, stopped and stared back at

them—then, without saying a word, all of them raised their hands and pointed to the side.

Ahrie and Min followed the direction of their fingers.

There it was.

A small, cozy restaurant tucked between two crumbling walls, its sign barely hanging by a hinge.

The Seekers immediately walked in and disappeared through the door.

A few Glimmerfen Seekers still lingered on the battlefield—

not because they were lost,

but because they had something else in mind.

They headed back to where the swarm first appeared.

Toward the cave.

"There's bound to be some treasure there, right?" one muttered.

"Maybe. Who knows," another said.

"If there is, we're gonna get rich as fuck," a third laughed.

"Eyy, don't forget the even split, aight?"

They laughed quietly as they slipped away from the others, heading toward the cave.

But when they reached its mouth, the laughter stopped.

Something in the air felt wrong—thick, heavy, sinister.

"...You feel that?"

"Should we go back? I got a bad feeling about this."

"What, you scared or somethin'? We're already here. Might as well see it through."

They pushed inside anyway.

Drip…

Drip…

The soft echo of water falling from the ceiling was the only sound.

No butterflies. No movement.

As they went deeper, the darkness thickened—

They lit a torch—its flicker revealed walls slick with moisture… and something else.

Then, deeper inside, they saw them—two figures.

Human-shaped.

Barely moving.

"Hey… you see that?"

The torchlight trembled in one man's hand.

The two shadows turned.

"Hmm," one of them hummed softly.

"Perfect timing," the other said, voice calm and cold. "I needed more ingredients."

"What the hell's this guy talking about—?!"

"Oi! The treasure's ours, don't you dare—"

WHAAAP.

A single, wet sound.

Then silence.

In an instant, they were gone.

The cave went still again.

Only the faint drip of water remained.

After resting up a bit, Ahrie and Min finally decided to head to the restaurant.

When they arrived, the place was already lively—

the Glimmerfen Seekers were halfway through their meals, mugs clanking, laughter echoing.

Ahrie and Min bumped into the one leading the group.

"Ohh, nice! You're here," he said, patting Ahrie's shoulder.

"Order anything you like. The guild that commissioned us is paying for it—you won't get a pay cut."

He flashed a grin and a thumbs-up before heading back to his table.

Ahrie and Min found an empty seat among the chaos.

Rowdy voices, half-drunk shouting, the smell of burnt spice and ale filling the air.

"What chu want?" Ahrie asked, squinting at the strange menu.

Min raised his hand to call a waiter. "Oii! Order, order!"

A young waiter rushed over.

"So, what will you have?"

"I'll take this… octopus dishyy thing," Min said, pointing.

"How 'bout you, bud?"

"This chicken dishyy thingy…" Ahrie muttered.

"Alright," the waiter said, cheerful. "So one Xor'thuun Ssyrrak's Eightfold Feast and one Krythak Grivven's Roast?"

"Y-yeah… somethin' like that," Ahrie said, trying to sound confident.

Truth was—they couldn't read a damn word on the menu.

"Okay! Coming right up!"

A few minutes later, the food arrived.

The waiter placed the dishes down gently, and the entire Glimmerfen table turned to watch.

They were grinning.

Waiting.

Ahrie and Min picked up their forks—

then froze.

"D-did the tentacles just move?" Min whispered.

The octopus twitched.

Ahrie blinked, raised his fork to his roast—

and the roasted chicken kicked him in the face.

"…Hoh." Ahrie's grin spread slow and wicked.

"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THIS FOOD?!"

The whole Glimmerfen squad burst into laughter, slamming their tables, nearly choking on their drinks.

Ahrie grabbed his knife, glaring down the twitching roast.

"Stay still for one goddamn second."

Ahrie launched a flurry of stabs at his plate—

steel flashing, fork spinning, rage fueling every jab.

But the roast dodged.

It hopped, rolled, and spun across the table like it had legs of its own.

His stomach growled.

"ARGHHH! LET ME EAT YOU, YOU GODDAMN PIECE OF MEAT!"

Meanwhile, Min wasn't faring any better.

His octopus dish had come alive—its slick tentacles wrapping around his arms, brushing against his cheeks, even stroking his hair like it was flirting.

"Ekk—get off me!" Min yelped, shaking his head.

One tentacle curved its tip like it was holding an invisible phone.

It winked.

"Call me" energy radiating from every slimy gesture.

Another tentacle reached over the table, grabbed random spices, and sprinkled them on its own body—posing dramatically like it wanted to be eaten.

"Naaah… Naaaahhh… Hell—FUCKING—NO!" Min screamed, falling off his chair.

Then, as chaos unfolded, Ahrie froze mid-swing.

His fork hovered in the air.

"...Min."

"What?!"

"Where's that fucking horse?"

Min blinked. "Arghhh… that fucking horse… again—"

—

Cut to:

The slim horse, sleeping inside the carriage on the road back to Glimmerfen.

Its ears twitched.

One eye opened slowly…Fuck.

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