“Seira Noona, take a break and get some rest.”

Starchis spoke to Seira, whose face was growing more haggard by the moment.

It was evening.

Her condition had deteriorated significantly; her face looked gaunt, and dark circles were heavy under her eyes.

Unlike before, Seira no longer had the energy to reassure Starchis.

“...It’s never taken this long before…”

She murmured to herself.

The Aide Party still hadn’t returned.

While “Barefoot”, Starchis’ party, usually took two days to complete a request, the Aide Party, as their name suggested, specialized in rescue missions.

For a rescue-focused party, taking two days meant something significant had gone wrong.

“Noona, at least go drink some water. Your lips are about to dry out and crack.”

“...Why aren’t they back yet... Sigh... Stion... where are you...”

“Noona!”

Starchis raised his voice to snap her out of her daze.

Although she had tried to act tough at first, her limits were clear.

No matter what, the difference in resolve between someone sitting and organizing paperwork and a leader directly guiding their party like Starchis was undeniable.

“Huh? What did you say?”

She looked at him with hollow eyes.

“Go drink some water. It’s at times like this that you need to pull yourself together.”

Seira blinked her dry, irritated eyes, nodded slightly, and headed toward the kitchen.

As soon as she left, Starchis rubbed his face with his hands, trying to shake off the ominous thoughts that kept creeping in.

If it was his brother, there was no way he’d die—not with a title like “Survivor King.” That title wasn’t given lightly.

And so, Luss should be okay too.

After all, his brother was by her side.

“...I’ll trust you, Hyung.”

Starchis murmured under his breath.

****

“Fall back!!”

At Stion’s shout, the party swiftly retreated.

A monstrous screech echoed through the air as a massive serpent fell from the sky, obliterating the space they had just occupied.

The Aide Party had been fighting non-stop since last night without any rest.

After battling for a full day, their stamina was utterly drained.

They had successfully rescued the party they’d been sent to save.

Although some members were critically injured, miraculously, no one had died.

Now all that was left was to escape, but the A-ranked monster, the Sky Imugi, refused to let that happen.

The Sky Imugi was a serpent on the verge of becoming a dragon, desperate to soar through the skies.

Its massive body granted it devastating power, and its ability to either fly or burrow into the ground made it a nightmare to subjugate.

Escaping such a beast while protecting the members was almost impossible.

Thus, Stion had decided to slay the beast.

...But things had gone awry.

During the fight, a second Sky Imugi appeared.

Two of them.

The party was now facing an unprecedented danger.

They had barely managed to take down one, but the remaining Sky Imugi, possibly enraged by the loss of its companion, went berserk, worsening their predicament.

The only silver lining was that no one in the Aide Party had sustained injuries yet.

Their healer, Demir, still had bandages and medical supplies untouched.

But their stamina was at its limit.

They hadn’t slept, eaten, or even had water in hours.

A massive dust cloud rose from where the Sky Imugi had landed.

In the blinding dust, Boyle, the party’s vanguard, shouted and stepped in front of his comrades.

“Yaaahhh!”

Slamming his giant shield into the ground, he took a defensive stance.

From within the dust, the Imugi charged, crashing into Boyle’s shield.

The size difference between Boyle and the Imugi was staggering.

“Ugh!!”

The impact sent Boyle flying, rolling across the ground.

“Boyle!!”

Demir, the party’s healer, rushed toward him.

“Everyone else, stay in formation!”

At Stion’s command, the party refocused.

Their fatigue made it dangerously easy to lose concentration in sudden crises like this.

“...This isn’t going to work, Stion.”

Fain, the scout, approached Stion.

“I know.”

Stion nodded. He understood how dire the situation was but saw no other way forward.

The Sky Imugi, briefly blocked by the shield, now turned its attention to the Aide Party.

It was preparing to charge again.

“...Damn it…”

Fain muttered.

With Boyle down, the party was in a critical situation.

Had the Aide Party been at full strength, they could have evaded the charging monster, but now they were far from their best.

The Sky Imugi let out another eerie screech, coiling itself tightly before launching forward at terrifying speed.

-Tatatak!

Just then, Lussappeared, standing in front of the Aide Party.

“Hah… Hah… Luss!!”

Fioren cried out.

Protecting the party was the role of the vanguard.

Luss’ decision was understandable, but Stion clenched his teeth.

Luss was a member of Starchis’ party.

He had promised his younger brother to bring her back safely.

This wasn’t someone who should be sacrificed.

Stion had allowed her to face danger before to gain experience, but he had never intended for her to take on such immediate risks.

‘Damn it.’

Before he could say anything, Stion moved instinctively.

Just in time, Stion’s tonfas and Luss’ shield combined forces to divert the Sky Imugi’s charge.

-BOOM!!

With a thunderous crash, Luss lost her balance and collapsed.

Fortunately, everyone was still safe—for now.

Stion shouted.

“Who told you to do that!!”

“...Still, if I hadn’t acted...”

Luss, still collapsed, glanced back.

In the far distance, Boyle and the healer Demir were staggering to their feet.

Stion, instead of feeling grateful, was filled with self-loathing.

Despite facing two A-rank monsters, he was powerless and had to rely on his younger brother’s party member for help.

In theory, he had only intended for Luss to gain experience, but everything was falling apart.

“...Don’t sacrifice yourself. You need to survive and return.”

Stion said firmly.

If he thanked her now, she would likely make the same choice again in this dire situation.

“Hiyaah!”

Fioren hurled her spear into the twisting body of the Imugi.

The spear tore through its flesh, and the rope attached to the spear allowed her to yank it back into her hands.

This wasn’t the first injury they’d inflicted—there were already dozens—but the Imugi showed no signs of stopping.

Coiling its body once more, the Imugi this time stretched skyward, soaring into the air.

Looking up, they saw the monster climb so high it became a mere dot in the sky.

“Stion, we can’t keep this up.”

“Don’t just say it’s impossible—give me a plan.”

Stion snapped back at Fain.

“...There’s an abandoned building nearby. Fighting there would give us better chances than staying in this open space.”

“Move!”

The massive serpent plunged to the ground.

-BOOM!

The Imugi had aimed for Stion, but he rolled aside with Fain to evade the attack.

Once again, dust and debris filled the air, obscuring their vision.

“It’s gone underground!”

This time, the ground rumbled beneath them.

The Imugi had chosen to burrow rather than charge.

As the dust settled, a massive hole in the earth became visible.

Fain approached Stion again to explain his plan.

“What do we do, Stion? Should I guide us?”

“We can’t just leave the Haxid members here. What if the Imugi doesn’t follow us?”

“The Imugi we killed earlier was probably its mate. It’s enraged and targeting us specifically—it’ll follow.”

“...And if it doesn’t?”

“Then the Haxid members die, and we survive.”

Fain spoke bluntly, leaving the decision entirely to Stion.

Stion surveyed his surroundings.

The battlefield was ravaged, offering no cover.

If the Imugi charged again, they wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

His exhausted party members and Luss, his younger brother’s teammate, weighed heavily on his mind.

“...Lead the way.”

Stion made his decision.

****

As Fain had predicted, the Imugi pursued the Aide Party.

Even running was a grueling task.

Whenever a shadow loomed overhead, they had to dodge sideways to avoid being crushed by the monster.

If the Imugi burrowed underground, every step had to be taken with utmost caution.

Rather than running straight, they zigzagged and changed directions, which drained their energy even faster than a normal run.

Their luck held when they reached the abandoned building—it was sturdier than expected.

The structure was an old, elegant stone building.

It was odd to find such a building in a place like this, but they weren’t in a position to question their fortune.

The party members quickly took shelter inside the spacious ruins.

Once hidden, the Sky Imugi became even more frenzied, screeching as if demanding they come out and fight.

It rammed into the building multiple times, but instead of collapsing entirely, only parts of the outer walls began to crumble.

This gave the party a brief moment to catch their breath.

Fioren and Boyle collapsed onto the ground, taking a few precious minutes of rest.

Luss, Fain, Demir, and Stion drank water to rehydrate, while the Aide Party’s archer, Shiarien, used the branches she’d picked up during their flight to craft arrows.

.

.

.

-BOOM!!

The building shook violently as dust rained down from the ceiling.

After a fleeting moment to regroup, the Aide Party began to strategize.

“Listen to me,” Stion said, initiating his plan.

“That Sky Imugi is at its limit. We’ve been hammering at it since yesterday—it can’t hold out much longer.”

-BOOM!!

As if to mock his words, the building trembled again under another powerful blow.

“...It’s true. Trust me.”

“I believe you, Stion,” Fioren said, nodding.

“Right now, it’s just lashing out in a blind rage. It doesn’t have many strikes left. If we get a solid opening, we might be able to finish it in one decisive blow.”

“One decisive blow?”

“Yeah, just bash its head in with this.”

Stion raised his tonfas, a slight grin tugging at his lips.

“Just create an opening for me. I’ll handle the rest.”

Luss couldn’t help but feel the plan was overly simplistic—unstructured and rough.

However, the other party members nodded without hesitation, as if they were accustomed to situations like this.

Seeing no other option, Luss reluctantly agreed to follow along.

.

.

.

.

.

The party members burst out from the opposite side of the building, where the Sky Imugi had been slamming into the outer wall.

Everyone fled except for Stion and the archer, Shiarien.

Stion had insisted they create an opening and leave him to handle the rest. Shiarien, looking for the perfect vantage point to shoot, stayed behind to assist.

“Stay sharp from now on!”

Fain, the scout, warned as they exited the building.

A shadow suddenly spread across the ground. Initially, they thought it was the building’s shadow, but Fain grabbed Luss’ arm and yanked her away.

“Everyone, dodge!!”

-BOOM!!

The entire party narrowly avoided the Sky Imugi’s attack.

Luss realized that without Fain’s intervention, she might have been crushed.

The rest of the party, being experienced A-rank adventurers, reacted quickly to the warning. But for Luss, unfamiliar with the Aide Party’s coordination and still relatively inexperienced, her response was slower.

“Get up!”

Fain yelled at the party members rolling on the ground.

He was already locked in a standoff with the Sky Imugi.

The formation had been broken.

The Imugi, now with its back to the building, loomed over the scattered party members.

“Let’s keep it trapped here...!”

“What??”

Demir, the healer, couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I said, let’s keep it trapped here.”

Luss scanned her surroundings.

Their original formation had collapsed, but now the Imugi was effectively surrounded, hemmed in against the building.

It was a perilous situation, but when seen from a different perspective, it presented an unexpected opportunity.

A chance had appeared earlier than anticipated.

There wasn’t time to deliberate further. The Imugi wasn’t about to give them any breathing room.

Before anyone could voice agreement, Boyle charged back into the fray, raising his shield.

“RAAHHH!!”

The Imugi opened its jaws and lunged, and Boyle’s shield lodged itself in the beast’s mouth.

The massive fangs were mere inches away from piercing Boyle’s shoulder. A fierce contest of strength ensued between the two.

While Boyle held his ground, Fioren thrust her spear into the Imugi’s jaw muscles.

“...Why isn’t it losing strength?!”

Despite their efforts, Boyle  was slowly being pushed back. His enormous shield creaked under the immense pressure, threatening to bend.

“Tch!”

Fioren yanked her spear out of the jaw and prepared to strike again.

But the Imugi’s fiery red eyes turned toward her.

Its tail lashed out at the poised Fioren.

“...Huh?”

-CRASH!!

Luss  intervened just in time, shielding Fioren from the tail’s impact.

The force sent Luss flying into the wall, which crumbled upon impact, burying her in the rubble.

“Luss!!!”

The Sky Imugi didn’t stop.

It snorted heavily, each exhale charged with heat—unnaturally intense heat.

“What the hell?!”

Boyle gasped, noticing a crimson glow reflecting in his eyes.

Inside the Imugi’s throat, a red-hot light began to burn brighter.

“...A breath attack? Is it trying to become a dragon?”

As Boyle began to falter, Stion’s voice rang out from above.

“Hold it down, Boyle!”

Snapping back to focus, Boyle dug deep, summoning his remaining strength to keep the Imugi in place.

The Imugi hesitated for a moment.

And in that moment, Stion leaped off the building, weapon raised, and landed directly on the Sky Imugi’s head.

-THUD!

A sickening, dull explosion echoed as blood sprayed into the air.

The Imugi’s eyes rolled back, its head splitting open as red blood gushed out.

Using the force of his fall and his body weight, Stion’s attack drained the monster of its strength, sending it crashing to the ground.

But Stion didn’t stop.

He swung his weapon repeatedly, smashing the Sky Imugi’s head into a pulp until there was nothing left but a mangled mess.

The battle ended with Stion’s unrelenting strikes.

.

.

.

“Luss!!”

Hearing someone call her name, Luss opened her eyes.

For a moment, she had lost consciousness.

Where’s the Sky Imugi?

She tried to bolt upright, but a dull ache pressed her back down.

“Ugh…”

Raising only her head, Luss examined her body and surroundings.

Thankfully, there didn’t appear to be any major injuries—no broken bones or deep cuts.

A more thorough examination would have to wait until she removed her armor, but for now, she seemed fine.

She glanced at the wall she had crashed through.

Fortunately, the wall’s collapse had absorbed much of the impact.

It had been a weaker section of the wall—luck was on her side. If it had been one of the sturdier outer walls, she might not have survived the collision.

“I’m over here!!”

Luss shouted to reassure the Aide Party.

From the sound of things, the battle was over.

There were no more thunderous crashes shaking the earth or the eerie screeches of the Sky Imugi.

“...Whew…”

Relief washed over her, and with it came an overwhelming wave of fatigue.

The realization that it was all over loosened her tension, leaving her lightheaded.

“Luss, are you okay?”

Fioren’s voice called out from a distance, growing closer.

Luss knew she had to get up. She couldn’t allow herself to rest where she was and cause the team more worry.

She forced herself into a seated position, wincing at the dull pain that had already started to fade.

Finally taking a proper look at the room, she was struck by its appearance.

The space was dimly lit but exquisitely decorated. Ornamental designs adorned every corner, making it the most beautiful room she’d seen in this building.

It puzzled her why such a building existed in this place.

Turning around, her gaze settled on something in the center of the room.

“...What?”

A peculiar chest sat there, faint light seeping out from its interior.

“...What is this…?”

Dragging her aching body, Luss approached the chest.

She hesitated, debating whether she should touch it or call the Aide Party first.

But the chest seemed to beckon her, and she couldn’t resist the pull.

Slowly, she reached out her hand.

The surface was cold, even more intricately crafted than the room’s ornate decorations.

As she applied the slightest pressure, the chest opened on its own.

Startled, Luss instinctively took a step back.

From her angle, she couldn’t see what was inside, only the soft cushioning lining the interior walls—designed to protect whatever lay within.

“.....”

Summoning her courage, she leaned in closer.

What she saw made her heart pound.

Nestled inside was a bottle filled with a shimmering pink liquid.

The bottle itself was delicately engraved, exuding an almost hypnotic beauty. Even from a distance, it seemed to emit a faint, pleasant aroma.

Luss’s breath caught in her throat.

“...Huh?”

Somehow, she felt like she knew exactly what that liquid was.