"I think I’m going to rest this month," I said, leaning back and letting out another breath. "I’m still exhausted from last month."
"Sure but make sure to at least complete one mission a month," Thorne said as he put down a stack of docunts on the table beside . "Pick one from here and inform ."
"Got it," I replied.
He looked at his watch. "I have sothing to do so I’m leaving. Take care of Boss," With that, he vanished into the portal, leaving alone.
I picked up the stacked folders with one hand, still gently ruffling Kairos’ hair and flipping through the pages using Spectral Seal. As I skimd, sothing caught my attention. My fingers paused mid-stroke, the strands of his hair slipping through them as I focused on the docunt.
Since I stopped for too long, Kairos lifted his head slightly and nudged it against my hand like a cat demanding attention.
I sighed. "Alright, alright."
I set the docunts aside and resud ruffling his hair. His shoulders relaxed instantly, tentacles shifting under the couch like they were purring.
"But I’m only doing this for thirty minutes," I warned.
"Can’t you extend it a little bit more?" he murmured, voice already softer, as if he were halfway back to sleep.
"No," I said firmly.
He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, but didn’t argue further. His head settled heavier against the couch cushion, and his tentacles curled lazily near my chair—like he was making sure I wouldn’t run away.
"Selfish," I muttered under my breath.
"I heard that," he said.
"Good."
He huffed through his nose but otherwise stayed still, letting comb through his hair like so overgrown, eldritch housecat.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
August 15, 2026
On a hot sumr afternoon, Royal Dominion’s Trainee Heroes were out on a field mission. Field missions usually ca from local governnts, but they were also among the duties guilds were mandated to perform by order of the Supre Governnt.
A total of eight guild mbers were taking part in today’s assignnt—four Heroes and four Trainee Heroes.
The mission handed to them by the local governnt was to eradicate a colony of humanoid lizards. But because Lizaris weren’t necessarily the easiest targets—and because Trainee Heroes were involved—an Elite-rank Hero was assigned as the leader for safety.
They trudged through the dry forest clearing, the air thick with heat and distant cicada cries. Leaves crackled under their boots, and the faint stench of reptilian musk lingered sowhere upwind—an indication that the colony was close.
"Stay sharp," the Elite Hero, Commander Vellian, said without turning around. His voice carried effortlessly, calm but authoritative. "Lizaris travel in packs of twelve. If we encounter fewer than that, assu the rest are hidden."
Ezekiel, Rex, Kaelan, and Zera nodded with serious faces.
"Also the most important thing is to prevent civilian casualties. Be careful in wielding your power so it doesn’t fly off sowhere," vice leader Davion added.
"Alright, let’s wait for the police to finish blocking the roads then we will go in first and you three can follow us slowly," Vellian said.
"Understood sir!" the three said in unison.
After the roads were finally blocked, the team moved in. They silently approached the abandoned comrcial building that had been turned into a settlent by the humanoid lizards.
But the mont they stepped inside, everyone stiffened and coughed. A thick acrid fog hung in the air, stinging their throats and burning their eyes. The interior was dim, humid, and slled of rot and reptilian musk.
Without any other choice, each of them covered the lower half of their face with a thin layer of magic power to filter the air.
"How long hath this dwelling been abandoned, that it now lieth in such a desolate and wretched state?" Kaelan asked as he sliced through the fog with his katana. His archaic manner of speech was a bit annoying, but the others were wondering the sa thing.
They were in Gondor, even if it was only its outskirts. With residential districts and shopping centers tightly packed just 5 km away, how could Lizaris settle in a place like this without being noticed?
"The settlent was reported just a week ago. By the looks of it, soone’s been doing ’business’ here." Vellian murmured with a low sigh. He didn’t seem happy with what he was seeing. "Since the military is concentrated around the coastal area, it must’ve been easy for the culprit to avoid the guilds’ eyes."
"What kind of ’business’?" Ezekiel asked.
"Lizaris are specialized in stealing. If managed properly, they can be ordered to steal from people—or even from other monsters." Vellian pulled his hair back roughly, irritation sharp in his expression.
’"But by the looks of it..." He kicked a human corpse lying on the ground.
The body was already overtaken by mold—mushrooms and spores sprouting along the flesh.
"They must not have realized the Lizaris could trick them instead." His voice was biting, cold. "What a bunch of fools."
Ezekiel finally understood what had happened.
The human corpses strewn inside the building must have been the handlers—the ones who reared the Lizaris but ended up being killed by them instead. There were many such instances recorded in textbooks. As the saying went, ’human greed had no bounds.’
"According to the local patrol force, there are about 300 Lizaris in this building," Vellian said as he stopped at the entrance, giving a final briefing. A settlent with a population of 200–300 was similar to the ones that naturally occurred in the wild.
"There are rcenaries waiting outside, but it’ll be troubleso if these monsters escape to the city. Like I said before, we’ll split into two teams—Team 1 goes right, Team 2 goes left. Don’t forget, our top priority is preventing even one Lazari from escaping."
The eight mbers nodded firmly.
Then they separated into their assigned teams.
Team 1 consisted of Vellian , Ezekiel, and Rex.
Team 2 consisted of vice leader Davion, Kaelan, and Zera.
"In the case of an ergency, send a signal imdiately," Vellian said firmly.
"Yes, sir," they responded together.
Each team wished the other good luck before splitting.
Ezekiel and Rex followed Vellian toward the right side of the building.
The Lizaris on the first floor were taken care of quickly—weak, malnourished, and easily frightened. But as soon as they stepped into the second floor, the atmosphere changed drastically.
As though lying in wait, dozens of Lizaris lunged from the shadows, hissing and screeching as they flooded the hallway.
"Front and flank! I’ll handle the front!" Vellian barked.
The mont his order rang out, the battle erupted. Vellian swung his greatsword with practiced ease, the blade releasing crescent-shaped sword waves. Twenty Lizaris were shredded in an instant.
But the real danger ca from the sides, where groups of Lizaris flicked out their poison-coated tongues, their most lethal weapon.
Rex and Ezekiel didn’t panic. They didn’t even flinch.
The mont the tongues shot forward, they moved—sidestepping, cutting, and smashing through the monsters in synchronized, fluid motion.
"Right side done."
"Left side done."
Both spoke at the sa ti.
"Well done," Vellian said without looking back.
They pressed on, sweeping through the rest of the second floor hallway.
The building was littered with crude yet effective traps—hidden pits, collapsing beams, and even makeshift poison dispensers. But Rex saw through each one imdiately, disarming or avoiding them effortlessly.
Remillia’s training had practically rewired the way he looked at danger.
After smoothly clearing the second floor, the group proceeded up the stairs to the third floor.
Then suddenly, the ground rumbled.
At the sa ti, Ezekiel’s eyes widened. He sensed it first—an explosive surge of mana erupting from below, rising fast.
Rex felt it too. "Everyone, jump outside!" he shouted.
They reacted instantly, leaping out through the nearest open fras. The mont all eight hit the ground outside, a thunderous BOOM detonated from beneath the building. The concrete buckled. Floors caved in. Windows shattered outward. Dust and debris exploded into the air as the entire structure began to collapse in on itself.
"Leader!" Davion called out through the smoke.
Team 2 erged seconds later, coughing but unhard.
"Are you all okay?" Vellian asked.
"Yes, all thanks to Kaelan’s sixth sense," Davion answered.
Kaelan rubbed the back of his neck with a shy laugh. "I thank thee for thy compli—WHAT IN THE DEVIL’S NA IS THAT?!"
Plan B—destroying the entire structure—was ant to contain the Lizaris, not free them. So none of them were panicking... at first. But then sothing unbelievable unfolded before them.
From the settling dust, the rubble began shifting.
Cracks split open.
And then—
"...Well, I’ll be damned," Vellian muttered with a crooked smirk.
One by one, Lizaris climbed out of the ruins—hundreds of them. Digging through solid earth and shattered concrete, the monsters burst out like a living wave.
An entire army of humanoid lizards was rising from beneath the destroyed building.
"Would you look at that, they even have tankers," Vellian said with a half-smirk.
One particular Lizari stepped forward from the swarm—massive, thick-scaled, gripping a crude iron club in one hand and a shield in the other. Hot steam puffed from its nostrils like an enraged bull.
Among all humanoid lizard variants, tankers were the strongest—classified as Advanced-Rank, Grade 1. Grade 1 was the pinnacle; Grade 5 the weakest.
But the problem wasn’t just one.
A full twenty tankers erged, each positioned ahead of smaller squads of Lizaris, commanding them like reptilian centurions.
Their synchronized footsteps shook the ground as they started approaching them.
"Team leader, it looks like this settlent was made a long ti ago," Davion said, voice tight.
"I already sent a request for reinforcent," Vellian replied. "Don’t panic. Just prevent them from reaching the city. We hold out for ten minutes, no more."
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