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  ??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???.

  ???? ? ??? ??? ????.

  ?? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?????.

  ?? ?? ?? ??,

  ???? ???? ?? ? ????.

  ? ????…

  ?? ??? ???.

  '···??.'

  ???? ??? ?????.

  ?? ?? ?—

  the dream he’d seen over and over.

  The battle that hadn’t appeared for ages

  was unfolding in front of him again.

  At the edge of a deep mountain range.

  A hazy fortress not even marked on any map.

  That castle, built of ash-gray stone,

  held immense mana conduits within it.

  And···

  His body was wrapped in a black mage’s robe.

  Mana hummed at his fingertips,

  and multiple spell arrays hung in the air,

  shining at his will.

  He was the one designing the battlefield.

  The enemy looked human.

  But they weren’t ordinary.

  ‘They carry light··· but there’s something sickening mixed into it.

  That’s not just a human.’

  The magic and swordsmanship they wielded

  were refined to a startling degree.

  A faint holy presence clung to them.

  Then—

  “Lord Orta!!”

  From behind a fallen statue,

  a subordinate drenched in blood screamed.

  A pitch-black officer’s uniform.

  The sharp, predatory eyes unique to demonkind.

  Stepping on the shattered remains of a spell array, he forced himself upright,

  staggering as he shouted.

  “The central barrier’s been breached!

  The enemy··· the enemy is pushing in this direction!”

  Orta.

  Rynel was being called that.

  At that moment, over his shoulder,

  he felt the presence of something enormous.

  Unfamiliar mana riding the wind.

  ‘Something’ approaching with its breath held.

  『Orta.』

  That name was spoken again.

  This time, it wasn’t a subordinate.

  It came from farther away—yet perfectly clear.

  ‘Who···?’

  And with those words—

  A vast ‘will’ looking down from above

  fell across the battlefield like light.

  The multiple arrays he had deployed

  collapsed all at once.

  A red mana storm covering the entire fortress

  detonated.

  ◇

  “Haah···!”

  Rynel jerked upright, sucking in air.

  His heart was pounding like mad,

  and cold sweat ran down his spine.

  ‘Why··· now. Why this dream again.’

  He’d thought it ended long ago,

  and the memory had already faded.

  So why—right now.

  “Rynel, are you okay?”

  Aira came closer, eyes full of worry.

  “···Yeah. It’s just··· a nightmare, I think.”

  Rynel answered with a small smile.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  But he knew better than anyone

  that it wasn’t just an illusion.

  “Hurry up and get ready. We don’t have time to stall.”

  Ivela’s cold voice came from outside the door.

  A massive wooden door.

  An iron frame.

  Beyond it was already crowded with adventurers.

  People wearing different badges by rank.

  Strange presences rising off their equipment.

  A space thick with the mixed stench of alcohol and metal.

  A place where danger and honor crossed.

  Where real adventure began.

  “It’s finally our first mission as adventurers!”

  Aira said, her face bright with anticipation.

  “Rynel, if you walk out looking like that after a nightmare, it’s a point deduction.”

  A mischievous smile spread.

  “Don’t worry. It’s nothing.”

  Rynel answered shortly and turned his head.

  But his expression was still tight.

  Ivela led the way without a word.

  The same cold composure clung to her face as always.

  “Hey—newbies over there?”

  A sharp voice came from behind.

  The three of them turned at once, and—

  bronze skin, a thickly muscled build.

  A man with a C-rank metal badge on his chest strode over, swinging a huge fist.

  “I’m Monero.

  A brawler from Bobre Village!”

  He spread his arms wide and yelled.

  “If you’re rookies, you’re supposed to put on a little show.

  You never learned an initiation?”

  Rynel quietly looked away, and Aira muttered as if dumbfounded.

  “Initiation···? What are you talking about?”

  Monero grinned with a sneer.

  “Hah. If you don’t even know, you should’ve learned before coming.

  It’s tradition here, tradition.

  It’s a virtue for the low-ranks to grovel in front of the high-ranks.

  Didn’t you know?”

  His gaze slid to Ivela.

  “And why are you mixed in with these brats?

  A C-rank sticking with kids because you don’t trust your own skill?”

  His mocking tone was enough to make even the people nearby frown.

  But Ivela

  only looked at him.

  Her gaze rose slowly

  from Monero’s feet to the top of his head.

  “Pathetic. Absurd.”

  Ivela said low.

  “What?”

  A vein bulged on Monero’s forehead.

  He cleared his throat and lifted his fist slightly.

  “You’re not trying to hide behind that C-rank, are you?

  Let’s check your skills.”

  The moment he tried to raise his fist—

  “···Huh?”

  Before he even moved,

  Ivela was behind him.

  Left hand twisting his arm,

  right hand holding a single dagger.

  The cold gleam of the blade

  rested precisely against the back of Monero’s neck.

  The tip barely brushed his skin.

  Just that—yet cold sweat ran down his nape.

  Ivela didn’t speak.

  Instead, the killing intent in the blade

  said more than any words ever could.

  Monero couldn’t move.

  He swallowed hard.

  “If you’re going to attack, you should’ve at least chosen the right angle.”

  Ivela said flatly.

  “H-hahaha···! Hey, yeah—C-rank.

  That’s what you should be able to do. It was a joke, a joke!”

  Monero forced a laugh.

  But the sweat didn’t stop.

  Ssshk.

  The dagger lifted away from his neck,

  and Ivela released his arm.

  Monero stumbled back a step.

  “W-what the hell··· getting all murderous.

  This is just a greeting!

  An initiation—just livening things up!”

  A snicker leaked out around them.

  Hard to tell whether it was ridicule or the kind of laughter that simply let things slide.

  “···Just you wait.”

  Monero spat that out,

  then hurriedly fled toward the door.

  “What a weird guy.”

  Aira muttered.

  Rynel looked at Ivela in silence.

  She turned away as if nothing had happened.

  “Hahaha! That was good—real good!”

  A middle-aged adventurer clapped and laughed loudly.

  “That C-rank thief lady’s no joke, huh?”

  “Monero, that guy picks fights with every newbie he sees.

  He got it bad today.”

  “Serves him right.”

  Then a low voice slipped in.

  “But··· Monero’s got some backing, doesn’t he?

  I heard he’s got ties to Raken.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Skill doesn’t lie.

  As long as he doesn’t get a reason to nitpick, he’ll be fine.”

  Ivela didn’t react.

  She didn’t care about rumors or stares.

  “Hey, if you’re C-rank··· is that high?”

  Aira asked Rynel.

  “It’s the rank where you’re recognized as a full adventurer.”

  Rynel answered quietly.

  “Up to D is beginner.

  C is where you’re a real adventurer.”

  “Then··· Ivela’s a real adventurer?”

  Aira tilted her head and smiled.

  “What do you mean real or fake?

  If you adventure, that’s real.”

  Aira puffed her cheeks, grumbling.

  “Hmph. Rynel, you’re too serious. No fun!”

  She tilted her head and lightly bumped his arm.

  “Sometimes you gotta smile.

  If you keep that face, you’ll get old for real, you know?”

  She added with a grin—

  “I don’t have to worry. I’ve got elf blood.”

  Rynel looked at her with a face that was neither a sigh nor a smile,

  then let out a small breath.

  “The reason I look serious

  is because you keep saying clueless things.”

  “And that’s my charm, isn’t it?”

  Aira laughed shamelessly.

  “I picked up the mission.”

  Ivela returned from the counter and handed over the request sheet.

  Rynel took it and skimmed.

  “···It’s just a delivery job?”

  Magic material transport mission

  Pick-up: Lakna Temple

  Recipient: Junior Priest Radel

  Delivery: Bobre Temple of Mercy

  Notes: Do not damage, Do not disclose externally

  “Pick up at Lakna, deliver to the Bobre temple.”

  Ivela added.

  “Receive it directly from Priest Radel.

  No opening it, no checking it in the middle.”

  “···It’s simple, but why so cautious?”

  Aira flipped the sheet and tapped the “do not disclose” line.

  “Why add this for a delivery? That’s suspicious.”

  “They want to hide something.”

  Rynel narrowed his eyes, staring at the request for a while, then folded it.

  “Five minutes. Get ready.”

  Short, firm—like there was no room for debate.

  Aira followed, grumbling.

  Rynel looked at the folded sheet

  and repeated the last line in his head.

  Do not disclose externally.

  For a simple job,

  it was a sentence that stuck out too sharply.

  ◇

  Bobre Village, South Gate.

  In front of an old but thick iron gate,

  two guards stood with spears planted.

  Ivela stepped forward first.

  She took a permit from her pocket and presented it quietly.

  “Lakna Temple. Transport mission.”

  Short. Clean.

  The guard nodded and checked the permit.

  Name, request number, headcount.

  “Confirmed. No issues with identification.”

  He pointed beyond the gate.

  A low ridge and scattered trees.

  “One thing—be careful.

  We’ve had reports of monsters lately.”

  “Which direction?”

  Rynel asked shortly.

  “South-southwest. If you’re heading to Lakna, you can skirt it, but···

  their movement isn’t consistent.”

  “What are the odds we run into them?”

  When Ivela asked right away, the guard shrugged.

  “If you’re lucky, you pass by.

  If you’re not, you fight.”

  Then he slowly looked the three of them over.

  “But you lot··· you’ll manage somehow.

  For rookies, you look pretty solid.”

  “Thanks for the compliment.”

  Aira clasped her hands and gave a small smile.

  Remembered warmth—yet her eyes were still busy, scanning.

  Ivela took the permit back and slipped it into her coat.

  “We move.”

  The iron gate opened slowly.

  Outside was colder than inside the village,

  and the stillness seeping through the grass

  clung to their skin like chill.

  The three of them nodded without speaking.

  First mission.

  And beyond that—

  an outside world that wouldn’t stay quiet for long.

  Their footsteps

  moved slowly toward the forest beyond.

  The sky was overcast.

  The sun didn’t show, but the light past noon still lingered.

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