Alvaric and Tamae sat in the middle of the village. Their feet were muddy. They were currently waiting for the creature the child had ntioned earlier. According to him, a strange being would appear at night to abduct the villagers. And here they were—sitting and waiting for it to show up.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tamae asked.
Alvaric turned his head, frowning. "Are you scared?" he accused.
Tamae imdiately waved her hand. "Of course not."
She wasn’t afraid of whatever enemy they might face. But the cold had long seeped into her bones. It wasn’t sothing she enjoyed. Tamae wasn’t born into poverty—she was born wealthy.
She had never slept outdoors in her entire life unless it was for missions against monster forces. Even then, she always brought a thick blanket.
This ti too, that thick blanket was available—but inside the carriage. Yet Alvaric forbade Tamae from using it, saying it would hinder her movent. Rather than helping, she would just end up being busy with her blanket. Alvaric disliked that.
"If you’re not really—"
Tringg!
A notification appeared in front of Alvaric. Sothing he hadn’t seen in a while.
[Mission: Kill the Shadow Stalker that’s abducting villagers before dawn.]
[Reward: 7,500 EXP, Title: ’Watcher Who Protects the Darkness’, Title Effect: 10% Charisma, and 1,000 Evolution Points.]
Alvaric was surprised to see the mission pop up. Seeing that mission reminded him of another one—building a good relationship with the ruler of Chillg City. He had almost forgotten that mission with everything that had happened lately.
He opened the mission nu and noticed that the progress had grown significantly.
[Relationship with the Ruler of Chillg City: 70%]
That was already more than halfway. Alvaric was shocked by how quickly the mission had progressed without him realizing it. He had thought the mission would fail after threatening the city ruler. Turns out, he was completely wrong.
"This is good. Just a little more," he muttered.
He ignored that mission and focused on the new one: killing the Shadow Stalker. From the na alone, Alvaric wasn’t sure if it was really a monster. It sounded more like a nickna for a perverted man spying on won taking a bath.
But that couldn’t possibly be true. Whether he liked it or not, Alvaric had to believe that the Shadow Stalker was a cruel monster.
Alvaric stroked his chin. "Is it so kind of snake... or a wolf?"
He had no clue what kind of monster the Shadow Stalker might be. His thoughts were scattered. His mind kept drifting to things he shouldn’t be thinking about.
While he was daydreaming, soone spoke up. "Alvaric?" Tamae’s voice snapped him out of it. "Is sothing wrong?"
Alvaric shook his head slightly. "No."
He wasn’t lying—he just wasn’t telling the whole truth.
The cold wind struck again, this ti sharper. The branches at the edge of the village swayed gently... but the air felt too quiet. Too still. Alvaric sensed sothing was wrong. His eyes kept moving, scanning his surroundings.
He stood up. "Get ready. I think... it’s close."
Tamae nodded. She tightened her coat around her and took a deep breath. Her right hand moved toward her sword’s hilt, eyes narrowing at the worn-down houses veiled in light mist. She was ready to help Alvaric slay the monster terrorizing this village.
"What kind of creature do you think is doing the abductions?" Tamae asked.
Alvaric shook his head. "I don’t know."
No one really did. Even the villagers who’d been living in fear couldn’t describe what it looked like. The thing moved at night and was rarely seen. It always struck when people let their guard down. One second there’d be a scream—when people looked toward it, no one was there anymore.
In the distance—a scraping sound. Like long claws dragging across an old rooftop. Alvaric focused. He sharpened his hearing. His heartbeat slowed, but his alertness rose.
He realized those weren’t human footsteps.
"From behind," he whispered to himself.
A long shadow leapt from the rooftop to the ground, landing silently. The creature crouched, its glowing red eyes locked onto them with a hungry gaze. But the mont Alvaric and Tamae moved, the creature darted back to the rooftops.
As Alvaric and Tamae gave chase, the figure vanished. It was nowhere to be seen in the direction it had escaped. They lost the strange creature.
Alvaric looked around—everything was dark. Nothing could be seen clearly. It was making things difficult for him. At first, he only wanted to help, but now he had a greater resolve—saving this village was a mission, and it ca with a promising reward.
"What if we split up?" Alvaric offered.
Tamae looked hesitant at first, but finally nodded. "Alright. Let’s stay within two blocks. If anything happens, give a signal."
Alvaric nodded in agreent. But before they could actually separate, a scream suddenly pierced the air.
"Aaaaaaaghhh!!"
A woman’s voice—sharp and full of panic. It ca from the west, not far from where they stood. Alvaric’s eyes widened. He swallowed hard, a terrible feeling creeping in.
Without a word, both Alvaric and Tamae ran toward the source of the sound.
Their footsteps pounded against the muddy ground. The lamps hanging on houses swayed in the wind, and the mist grew thicker—like it was hiding sothing.
After sprinting as fast as they could, they finally reached a small house. Its door hung wide open, slanted—forced open by sothing. Inside, the room was a ss—tables overturned, chairs shattered, plates scattered across the floor.
Alvaric imdiately recognized the place.
"...This is the house of the mother and child who invited us to eat earlier," he murmured quietly.
Without waiting, he stepped inside first. Tamae followed close behind, sword already drawn. Her chest felt tight, hoping that what she feared wasn’t true.
As Alvaric’s eyes swept across the room, he froze.
The mother lay on the floor, her body covered in wounds, blood flowing heavily across the cracked wooden boards. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling—lifeless and cold.
Alvaric knelt down and touched her neck, checking for a pulse.
A mont... of silence.
"...She’s dead."
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