It was a Rabbit-Kin woman. She had long, soft white ears, and she was holding the hand of the young boy, Ren, whom Lysander had saved from the Behemoth yesterday.
In the past, the mere sight of a human male in armor would have made her freeze in terror. The trauma inflicted by humans—the slave traders, the soldiers—ran deep in her blood. She used to flinch at every shadow, expecting pain.
But today, as she looked at the cold, intimidating iron mask of Lord Zero, she didn't tremble. She didn't flinch.
The fear was gone.
She looked at him not as a human monster, but as a guardian. He was the one who had stood between her son and death.
"Lord Zero," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. She bowed her head low, not out of submission, but out of deep respect.
"Before today, I was terrified of humans,"
she admitted, squeezing her son's hand.
"But you... you saved my Ren. You gave him a future when the world wanted to eat him."
She looked up, her eyes clear and filled with a burning desire to repay her debt.
"I cannot fight like Elara. I cannot use magic like Lady Seraphina. But I don't want to just be protected anymore. I want to pay back the life you saved"
"What is your name?" Lysander asked, noting the strength in her gaze.
"Mira," she answered firmly. "My name is Mira"
Lysander nodded.
"Mira. I am taking Elara and Seraphina to clear a Dungeon. The village will be unguarded"
He opened his System Shop interface.
"System, I need a communication tool. Something simple"
Ding!
[ITEM PURCHASED: ALERT WHISTLE]
[Cost: 50 SP]
[Effect: When blown, it sends an urgent mental alarm directly to the Master, no matter the distance]
Small silver whistle appeared in his hand. He tossed it to Mira. She caught it with clumsy hands.
"Take this," Lysander ordered. "Your ears are sharp. You will be the Sentry. If you hear anything approaching the village-monster, human, or beast-do not fight. Blow the whistle"
He leaned in closer.
"I will hear it. And I will return instantly"
Mira clutched the whistle to her chest, her fear replaced by determination. She wasn't just a victim anymore; she had a job.
"Yes, Lord Zero!" Mira said, her ears standing straight up. "I will listen. I won't let anything sneak up on us.
Lysander turned to his two S-Rank psychopaths.
"Good. The rear is secure"
He pointed North.
"Elara, Seraphina. Move out. It's time to level up.
"Let's move," Lysander commanded, his cape rustling as he turned toward the dense treeline.
Elara and Seraphina fell into step behind him. They were no longer bickering. The weight of their new bodies and the promise of power had sharpened their focus. They looked less like rivals and more like predators waiting to be unleashed.
As they stepped into the shadows of the forest, the sunlight disappeared, blocked by the thick canopy of ancient pines.
"System," Lysander whispered. "Open the Stratified Domain Map"
Zzzzt.
A complex, high-tech holographic map materialized in the air in front of him. Unlike the standard 2D minimap that most Awakened used, this was the Rank-A Stratified Map he had purchased earlier.
It didn't just show lines; it showed a real-time, 3D wireframe topography of the entire forest.
[Blue Dot: Lysander User]
[Green Dots: Elara & Seraphina Allies]
[Red Mist: Enemy Territory The Dungeon]
Lysander zoomed in on the glowing red crater located a few hundred meters ahead.
[LOCATION ANALYSIS]
[Target: Goblin Hollow] (Dungeon)
[Type: Subterranean Cave System]
[Distance: 450 Meters North-East]
[Danger Level: Rank F]
"It's close," Lysander noted, analyzing the terrain data. "The entrance is hidden behind a cluster of thorny vines at the base of the cliff"
He swiped the map away, the blue light reflecting briefly in his crimson eyes.
"Stay sharp," Lysander said, his voice low.
"We are entering their hunting grounds. Don't let your guard down just because you feel strong"
"Understood, Zero," Seraphina said, her violet eyes glowing in the dark.
"I smell them," Elara growled softly, her ears twitching. "They stink of rot"
Lysander stopped abruptly just before the treeline that hid the dungeon entrance.
He didn't reach for the sword
Flash.
Two sleek, black semi-automatic magnums materialized instantly in his hands, summoned directly from his inventory. The metal was cold and radiated a faint dark energy.
Click-Clack.
He spun the guns expertly around his index fingers before holstering them at his waist.
"We are here," Lysander stated, looking at the overgrown cave entrance covered in thorny vines.
Elara and Seraphina stepped forward, weapons ready, expecting him to lead the charge.
"Stop," Lysander commanded.
They froze.
"I said 'We' are here. I didn't say 'We' are going in"
He leaned against a nearby tree, crossing his arms.
"I am not entering that cave. You two are"
"What?" Seraphina blinked, confused. "But Lord Zero... without you..."
"If I go in, I will kill everything in seconds,"
Lysander interrupted coldly. "You won't learn anything. You have S-Rank bodies now. It's time to see if you have S-Rank guts"
Ching.
He purchased another item from the System Shop—a small, crystal sphere, similar to the whistle he had given Mira, but shaped like a marble.
He tossed the Crystal Sphere to Seraphina.
She caught it clumsily.
"Take this," Lysander said. "It is a distress signal, just like the one I gave the Rabbit-Kin"
He pointed at the dark, ominous cave.
"Clear the dungeon. Kill every Goblin inside. If you meet something you absolutely cannot kill—break that sphere, and I will come"
His red eyes narrowed behind the mask.
"But try not to need me. Now go"
The transition was instantaneous. One moment, they were standing in the dappled sunlight of the forest; the next, they were swallowed by the damp, suffocating darkness of the Goblin Hollow.
The air inside was stale, thick with the metallic tang of old blood and the ammonia-like stench of Goblin waste. Water dripped from the stalactites above, echoing rhythmically in the silence. Plip. Plip. Plip.
Seraphina raised her hand. A small orb of Violet Void-Fire hovered above her palm, casting long, dancing shadows on the wet cavern walls. The purple light made her silver hair look ethereal, almost ghostly.
Elara walked beside her, her steps silent. Her new Golden eyes had adjusted instantly to the dark glowing like two burning coins in the gloom.
They walked for about twenty meters before stopping. The path narrowed.
They looked at each other.
For a moment, the mission was forgotten. The rivalry flared up.
"Listen, Princess," Elara hissed, her voice low and guttural. She dragged one of her new, diamond-hard claws against the stone wall. SCREEEE. It cut through the rock like butter. "Stay out of my way. You're soft. You cast your little spells from the back. I am the predator here"
Seraphina's eyes narrowed, the violet light in her palm flaring hotter. "Soft? I am a Void Empress now. While you are scratching things like a stray cat, I will be erasing them from existence"
Elara bared her fangs in a mock smile. "We'll see. I'm going to find the Goblin Boss. I will rip its ugly head off with my bare hands and drop it at Lord Zero's feet. He will praise me"
"In your dreams, furball," Seraphina scoffed.
They glared at each other, electricity crackling between them. They were so focused on their petty competition that they almost missed the sound.
Skitter. Skitter. Clank.
It sounded like rats, but heavier. Metal dragging on stone.
"Greeheehee..."
A nasty, high-pitched cackle echoed from the darkness ahead.
The two women froze. Their bravado evaporated instantly.
Despite their S-Rank Potential, despite their mutated bodies, their minds were still stuck in yesterday. Yesterday, Elara was just a village hunter who trapped rabbits.
Yesterday, Seraphina was a bullied girl who flinched when someone raised a hand.
They had never fought a monster alone.
They had never killed anything that could kill them back.
From the shadows, they emerged.
Hunched, malnourished green bodies covered in warts and grime. Their eyes were bulbous and yellow. Their teeth were jagged yellow needles.
Rusted iron daggers, chipped stone clubs, and cracked wooden shields.
There were six of them. A scouting party.
The Goblins stopped when they saw the women. They sniffed the air. They didn't smell danger; they smelled fear. And they smelled female.
"Kiiik! Kiik!" the lead Goblin shrieked, pointing a rusted dagger at Seraphina. He licked his lips with a long, slimy tongue.
"Fresh meat!"
They... they are disgusting," Seraphina whispered, taking a step back. Her hands were shaking. The violet flame in her hand flickered unstable.
"Don't back up!" Elara growled, though her tail was puffed up to twice its size in alarm.
"Lord Zero is watching... well, he's waiting. We attack!"
But saying it and doing it were different things.
The Goblins didn't wait. With screeching war cries, they charged.
They were small, but they were fast. They scurried over the rocks like spiders.
"Die!" Elara screamed. She lunged forward to slash the lead Goblin.