Captain Veylor stood at the center of the field, watching the aftermath with a satisfied nod. His voice carried across the stronghold.
"Well done! Secure the area and tend to the injured. We’re not dead yet, so keep moving!"
A few tired chuckles answered him. The tension eased further.
But just as the atmosphere softened, a deep rumble shook the ground.
Rumble.
The dungeon entrance at the edge of the stronghold trembled violently.
The celebrations paused.
All eyes turned.
The heavy stone arch that marked the dungeon gate pulsed faintly, and the space within twisted like disturbed water. Then figures began stepping out one after another.
Silver squad mbers.
Gold squad mbers.
The elite explorers who had entered the dungeon earlier to clear it.
Their armor was damaged, their expressions serious, and their movents sharp with caution. They stepped into the open space quickly, scanning the surroundings as if expecting danger to still be present.
One of them muttered quietly.
"...It’s quiet."
Another replied, "Too quiet."
They looked around at the intact defenses, the living civilians, and the explorers still standing. Relief crossed their faces, though they hid it quickly behind discipline.
They had expected the sa devastation they faced inside the dungeon.
Instead, they found celebrating explorers.
Not long after, another dungeon gate nearby trembled as well. The remaining squads from the second dungeon erged, equally alert and tense. Their gazes swept across the battlefield, searching for sothing unseen.
Sothing they feared.
But they found nothing.
Only exhausted people, the remains of battle. And of course, signs of victory.
A tall man in gold armor stepped forward from the group. His presence alone silenced nearby conversations. Without wasting ti, he walked straight toward Captain Veylor.
"Let’s rge reports," he said calmly.
Captain Veylor crossed his arms.
"You first."
The gold captain gave a short nod.
"Inside the dungeon, we encountered abnormal monster behavior. The creatures showed signs of corruption with their insanely high numbers and abnormal regeneration. Their aggression was unnatural."
He paused briefly.
"We also discovered traces of external influence. The mana patterns were unstable. Sothing was feeding them."
Several nearby captains exchanged looks.
The gold captain continued.
"When we pushed deeper, we heard of the large presence outside the dungeon. A massive vine entity. Scout ntioned it absorbing blood and corpses from the battlefield."
His gaze shifted toward the remains of the massive vine monster lying in the distance.
"It still carries an enormous amount of corrupted mana. No debates as to why it continued regenerating even after receiving damage."
Murmurs spread among the gathered explorers.
Captain Veylor nodded slowly.
"That part checks out."
The gold captain’s brows furrowed.
"We expected severe casualties when we returned. But instead..."
He looked around at the stronghold again.
"You ended it."
Captain Veylor smirked slightly.
"It weakened suddenly. Regeneration slowed. Pressure dropped. We seized the chance and killed it."
He pointed toward the enormous corpse.
"Proof’s right there."
The gold captain studied the body carefully. Then he glanced toward the other gold captains, speaking in a low voice.
"So it was the sa outside..."
One of them nodded grimly.
"As we feared."
Their conversation was brief and guarded, clearly not ant for lower ranked explorers. Whatever they discussed was information above most people’s clearance.
The gold captain turned back and raised his voice.
"Investigate the surroundings. I want full details on what happened here."
Several silver and gold squad mbers imdiately moved out, spreading across the battlefield.
But before they could take more than a few steps.. The crowd shifted.
A path slowly opened among the explorers.
Soone was walking toward the captains.
Arthur.
He moved at a steady pace, his armor a bit torn and stained with dirt and dried blood. His body showed clear signs of battle, yet his posture remained straight and relaxed, like nothing unusual had happened.
People stepped aside unconsciously as he passed.
Their gazes followed him.
But it wasn’t just the signs of battle that froze them in place.
It was what he carried.
A severed head hung loosely in his hand, dark blood still dripping slowly onto the ground. The face was twisted and unnatural, the skin carrying faint traces of corrupted energy that had not fully faded.
The presence alone was repulsive.
A heavy, sickening feeling spread through the air around it.
So of the newer explorers recoiled instantly.
One of them gagged.
"What... what is that?"
Even experienced explorers struggled to maintain composure. They could feel the lingering tainted mana radiating from the head, crawling against their senses like sothing alive.
Arthur walked through them calmly, as if carrying such a thing was completely ordinary.
When he finally reached the group of captains, he stopped.
Without ceremony, he tossed the head onto the ground before them.
It landed with a dull sound.
"That should be enough evidence," he said simply.
Silence followed.
The captains stared at the head, their expressions changing from confusion to shock.
They recognized it imdiately.
A corrupted human.
An abyss worshipper.
Finding one alone was difficult.
Tracking their ritual formations was harder.
Killing one was even worse.
And yet here stood a newly awakened bronze squad mber holding proof of victory.
The gold captain crouched slightly, studying the head closely. His expression grew serious.
"...No doubt about it."
Another captain spoke quietly.
"A ritual guardian."
A third added, "He destroyed the source."
Their gazes slowly shifted toward Arthur.
"How did you find it?" the gold captain asked.
Arthur scratched his cheek casually.
"Felt sothing strange in the forest. Followed it. It attacked first."
The answer was simple.
Too simple.
The captains exchanged looks again. They understood what it ant to locate such disturbances. It required experience, sensitivity, and strength beyond what most bronze explorers possessed.
Yet Arthur spoke like it was nothing.
The gold captain stood.
"You fought it alone?"
Arthur shrugged.
"There wasn’t ti to call for help."
A brief silence followed.
Captain Veylor let out a short laugh.
"This kid..."
A/N:
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