What?

BOOM!

Cracks spread through the ground, chunks of earth flying out of the impact. "Ugh... what is this thing?" Itto groans, getting up from the shattered ground and looking at the monstrosity before him. 'My sword bounced off it despite it being rotten? It didn't leave a single scratch. Is it that weird magic around it? It feels hazy, similar to spirit magic...'

"Oi oi oi, why is it twitching so much?" the prince mumbles, taking a step back. Its head twitches in fast intervals, looking at all three of them. It opens its mouth wider into a disgusting smile, revealing rotten teeth in that black-purple maw. "Itto, why haven't you killed it?" the prince whispers in a yelling tone.

"Shut the hell up. Why don't you do something for once, you useless bastard?" Itto grits his teeth, scratching his head in confusion. 'It's not attacking? Is it playing with us?' He sighs, raising his sword with one hand and placing his palm on the blade. Lightning shoots out, wrapping itself around the blade like a blanket.

Kael turns between Itto and the monster. 'I can hear the lightning, but I can't see it. If I coat my eyes in aura...' His eyes widen, seeing the lightning not just wrapped around the blade but spreading around the forest, creating a dome. "This has to be overkill," he mumbles under his breath.

Itto's hair stands on end with the electrical current running through his body, and with a single step—Swoosh! He vanishes.

Swoosh!

Bang!

Swoosh!

Bang!

'How is this thing so fast? It's blocking my damn sword with its nails? How is that even possible!? This sword is an ancient artifact, for crying out loud!' Itto grits his teeth. BOOM! The runes on the sword glow a light white, lightning crackling all around, spreading onto the monster's body but... nothing. Nothing happens; the monster only seems to mock him.

"Watch out!" the prince yells, lifting his hand and instantly casting a thick dome around Itto. The monster thing widens its mouth into what can only be described as a deadly twisted, disgusting smile.

"ooIiooOOIiuuU RoUougGGGGeei"

Its hands twitch, and its nails increase in size. It slashes at Itto, caring less about the dome as it breaks it with no struggle, shattering it to pieces and slashing at Itto. 'Shit, she's too fast,' Itto grits his teeth, jumping back and looking down at his arm. Two nails managed to slash him, the wound dark and looking almost rotten, a black hue around it.

Kael looks at the monster. 'It won't attack unless we attack it... No, its bloodlust is everywhere; it wants to chase us.' Reaching into his pouch, he grabs a potion, tossing it to Itto. "It's a holy potion; that should clean whatever that thing put on you," Kael sighs.

"A holy potion?" Itto looks down at his hand. 'These things are several platinum coins each. Knowing this kid, he's going to charge me with an interest rate. Erm... I got no choice,' he gives up, pouring it on his wound. Stopping halfway, he looks up to see the monster back up a bit.

"Hmhmhmhm, I see, so that's how it is," Itto grins, lifting his sword and slamming the potion on the blade. The holy potion drips from the sword. "Thank the goddess. I was afraid we would resort to running," he mumbles coldly.

Swoosh!

Bang!

The creature tries to block, but its nails evaporate as the liquid on the sword touches it. Its face contorts, and its body twitches. "Where do you think you're going!" Itto grunts, managing to slash a chunk of its body. Its shoulder and arm fall to the ground.

Swoosh!

A black cloud appears around it, and the monster suddenly vanishes, leaving no trace behind.

"Shit! Shit! FUCK!" Itto punches a tree, breaking it in half. 'I was this close to killing it, fuck, will it come back? There's probably more than one...'

"Hey, you alright?" Kael raises an eyebrow as the prince is on his knees, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his neck.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry about it," he mumbles with heavy breaths, forcing himself up. 'What was that... it almost got me,' he thinks with an exhale. "We should start moving; this place gives me chills." He looks around, but it's hard to see anything through the mist. Enhancing his vision doesn't work, so the place is a complete mystery.

"Hey, about Leena... the guild master called her 'ghost of the slaughtered village.' Is she an actual ghost?" Kael asks as they walk, his hands in his pockets. The forest has been quiet for the last couple of hours, so he's calmer.

Both the prince and Itto turn to Kael. "Hmm... it's a bit of a mystery even to us. Before we arrived and set up a building in that abandoned village, the guild master informed us what she knows about Leena."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

-A couple of months ago

-City of Virno in the Republic of Lyr

The buildings here are multiple stories tall, their architecture immaculate. The Republic of Lyr prides itself on architectural perfection, so mistakes are never an option. Each structure is perfectly placed, enhancing the city's beauty without overshadowing its neighbors. The roads are aligned with mathematical precision, and statues of mythical creatures, gods, goddesses, and heroes stand over 100 feet tall, casting long shadows across the city.

In this beautiful city, littering is a federal crime. The most noticeable feature is the grapevines. Spreading on every building, they are maintained for artistic reasons, and there is no street where the beautiful blue grapes don't grow. The vines wrap around columns, creep along rooftops, and weave through arches, adding a lush, natural beauty to the urban splendor.

The Adventurer Headquarters must follow these laws. The building is three stories tall, but its true beauty lies below ground, where it spreads out, owning over a street, with dozens of floors and rooms. Each has a purpose. The Adventurers Guild is everywhere, so it would be a nightmare if they didn't have a building that could house all the personnel. Thousands of employees live underground. The Republic of Lyr prides itself on housing the headquarters and supports the guild by providing multiple buildings and underground systems that the guild controls. Hundreds of adventurers, from E rank to S rank, visit it, always protecting the people for thousands of years.

Deep underground, the guild master sits at her table with Team Alpha around her. She grins. "Stop fucking laughing, you sick bastards. I told you it's not that type of relationship," she exhales, standing up.

"Hahahaha, come on guild master, why are you lying to us? Just make sure to invite us to the wedding, alright?" Itto laughs in the back.

"Who cares if she invites us? We'll just crash it, hahahahaha!" someone in the back spurs out.

"Enough, you fucking bastards. We live completely different lives, so it won't work out. Now!" She slams her palm on the table. "I have one more thing I need to say. This is important, so shut the fuck up." She stands up and taps on a holographic screen.

"This is something," she points at a picture of Leena on the screen. "She is part of the dungeon. Every century, she appears for 20 years. According to the king, she's the key. It's impossible to enter the dungeon without her. She chooses if people are worthy of entering the dungeon or not, so when we arrive there, you better not disrespect her."

She paces around the room and switches the screen to another picture of Leena smiling alone in the empty town. "She's likely a ghost who lived in this village before it was massacred. According to records, she behaves as if there are other villagers there. She might have died as a young adult, and likely due to unknown circumstances, she became a part of the dungeon." Her eyes get cold as she glares at everyone. "Don't talk to her about her life, about her existence. Just go along with her. She may look like an innocent girl, and perhaps she is, but her mentality is affected by the dungeon. We can't mess this up. The king said she has already been back for 19 years, and this is the last year before she disappears again. Others have tried entering the dungeon but failed and never came back." She stops and leans on the table.

"Listen, don't look down on her. She's dangerous. None of you are allowed to be alone with her. Treat her as a child, don't behave suspiciously. We have no idea what she'll do once we're in the dungeon, but we do know she can interpret what people think of her, so you must always, no matter what, view her as a child."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"How interesting..." Kael mumbles, rubbing his chin. 'Ghosts can't interact with our realm... is what I would like to say, but dungeons are always breaking the laws of our realm, so it wouldn't be impossible. When she dropped us and nearly killed me, I made eye contact. It's clear she wasn't doing it out of eagerness like a shapeshifter or a mimic would. She looked detached from the situation...'

"Tsk, why didn't you tell me about her?" the prince groans, rolling his eyes.

"Why the fuck would we? You're just a useless tag-along. If we told you, you would fold instantly," Itto responds with a frustrated nod.

Meanwhile, miles away...

*cough*

Ryua spits out blood, her calm gaze fixed on her hand where she holds the head of a hideous monster, similar to the one Kael's group was fighting. Her clothes are ripped in several locations, her arms are covered in her own blood and the black sludge from the monster.

"Took me a while to find you. I was a couple of dozen miles away. Stop holding it like a trophy," Oda mumbles, walking up to Ryua as she holds the head by the hair. Yanking it away, he tosses it aside. "Where are you going?" he asks in his husky voice, reaching down to grab her shoulder.

She turns, looking up at him with her calm gaze. "There's more of them that way," she mumbles, pointing in a direction with one hand while her other hand holds her stomach. She turns back, ready to walk away.

"No, you're injured," Oda responds, tightening his grip on her.

"I'm okay," she replies, trying to walk away.

"Liar."

"I don't feel a thing," she turns to glare at him.

"Stop holding your stomach," Oda's husky voice demands with authority.

"No," she responds back with no fear whatsoever.

"Why?"

"My guts will spill," she mumbles calmly before trying to walk away.

Oda exhales deeply. "You're going to get yourself killed," he mumbles, stuffing a potion down her throat.

"That won't work. I tried drinking one," she mumbles, wiping her mouth.

"I used a holy potion. You'll be fine," he rubs his temples as she slowly heals. 'What are these things?' he looks at the decapitated head. 'To slice Ryua... she's one of the strongest ones here.' He scratches the back of his head. "These damn restrictions, goddess, why do dungeons always do this to us?" he exhales. 'Thank you goddess for letting me find her before she killed herself.'

"Thank you," Ryua mumbles, breaking free from Oda and looking around frantically.

"Stop it. Everyone was separated. I know you're worried, but we should be careful." Oda walks closer to her.

"I'm not worried," she mumbles calmly.

"Of course you're not," Oda rolls his eyes. "Don't worry, they'll be fine. We're team alpha for a reason."

"I'm not worried," she mumbles again in the same calm tone she always has around Oda, who is the only person she's unwilling to fight. "These monsters are resistant to magic and physical attacks. So just find a way to twist their necks and behead them."