The rain had finally stopped. The city shimmered under a pale blue dawn, the kind of fragile light that makes even broken things look whole for a moment. The Adventurer's Hub stood quiet—too quiet for its usual rhythm of shouting vendors, clashing practice blades, and laughter that often masked fatigue.
Raiden sat at a window table on the Hub's upper deck, a mug of untouched tea cooling beside him. The forest's corruption still lived in his thoughts—the twisting black mist, the beasts' roars, the burning ozone when his Lightning Slash split the night. His right arm still tingled faintly from overusing the skill. The system had been silent since then, letting him breathe… or perhaps waiting.
He flexed his fingers, watching a faint thread of static dance between them before fading. "Still too wild," he muttered. The energy inside him felt like a storm that had learned to whisper instead of shout.
Downstairs, adventurers came and went, glancing at him with a mix of curiosity and caution. They'd all heard the rumors—Level 1 adventurer survives corrupted zone alone, brings back missing heiress, kills a high-tier beast. To most, it sounded like an exaggerated tavern tale. But to those who saw the black scorch marks on his blade, it wasn't a story—it was a warning.
A soft chime interrupted his thoughts.
]{QUEST COMPLETED}[
]{"FOREST DATA ANOMALY – BLACK HALO INTERVENTION"}[
]{EXP GAINED: 12,000}[
]{LEVEL UP}[
]{LEVEL UP}[
]{LEVEL UP}[
]{LEVEL UP}[
]{HOST: LEVEL 7}[
]{UNASSIGNED STAT POINTS +20}[
]{REWARD: NEW PASSIVE SKILL – BATTLE INSTINCTS}[
]{DESCRIPTION: Heightened awareness of killing intent and motion prediction. Active in combat situations.}[
He exhaled slowly. Battle Instincts… that might've saved me from a few near-deaths last time.
The status interface hovered briefly before fading again, its glow reflecting faintly in his eyes.
Behind him, a familiar voice cut through the quiet. "You don't look like someone celebrating a successful mission."
Raiden turned. Aeris Valen stood there, dressed in a borrowed combat suit—light-gray, form-fitted, a bandage visible under her collarbone. Her hair, a cascade of silver-black, shimmered faintly in the morning light, and her pale blue eyes carried a calm sharpness that belonged to someone who had seen more than most soldiers.
She leaned on the railing, her expression measured. "I heard the elders talking. They said you walked out of the forest alive. That's more than the last three parties who tried."
Raiden gave a low shrug. "Luck. And a bit of lightning."
"Lightning doesn't stop corruption beasts," she said quietly. "Something else did."
He didn't answer. The hum of the Hub filled the silence—announcements echoing across terminals, adventurers checking mission boards, and the dull clatter of weapons being checked in for maintenance.
After a long moment, Aeris sighed. "You know, my father… he used to design weapons for the military. Precision railguns, kinetic blades. When he vanished, I thought he'd been taken by some corporate spy ring." Her voice hardened slightly. "Turns out he was forced into working for the Black Halo."
Raiden's gaze flicked toward her, eyes narrowing slightly. "You're sure?"
She nodded. "He was the one who created the stabilizer tech for the corruption fields. They used it to accelerate the mutation, not stop it. When he tried to shut the project down, they took me. To keep him working."
Raiden's knuckles tightened on the mug. "That explains the anomaly… and the things I fought in there."
Her gaze softened. "You saved me, Raiden. I don't know why, but I owe you."
He shook his head. "Don't. You didn't ask for any of this."
The air between them carried a strange stillness, not discomfort but understanding. Two people pulled by the same storm, both missing something the world had taken too soon.
A sudden alarm blared through the Hub. Screens lit up with red-coded warnings.
[Attention: Corruption Residue Detected—Northern Border.]
Adventurers around the hall stood abruptly, grabbing their gear. The Hub master, Kairo, appeared from the central terminal, his robe trailing faint blue energy lines as he surveyed the chaos.
"Settle down!" he barked. The noise dulled instantly. "This isn't a breach. The corruption's residue is dispersing on its own. Whatever caused the surge in the forest is fading. But make no mistake—someone caused it." His eyes found Raiden, as if the statement was half meant for him.
Raiden rose from his seat. "So Black Halo made their move again."
Kairo studied him. "We're still confirming, but yes. And if that's true, this city will need people who can stand against them."
"I'm not looking to be anyone's soldier," Raiden replied, voice low but firm. "But I'll hunt whoever burned my home."
Kairo didn't flinch. "Then you and the girl might have the same target."
Aeris met Raiden's eyes. "If we're going after Black Halo, you'll need me. I know their tech, their patterns, and where they might strike next."
He hesitated. "You sure you can handle it? You've barely recovered."
She smiled faintly, almost amused. "You think I'm porcelain? My father taught me how to shoot before I could spell my own name."
The moment drew a small laugh out of him—a rare, rough sound that faded quickly. "Alright. But if we do this, we do it smart."
A soft chime appeared before his eyes.
]{NEW QUEST RECEIVED}[
]{"TRACE THE HALO"}[
]{OBJECTIVE: INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE BLACK HALO MOVEMENT NEAR THE NORTH BORDER}[
]{REWARD: UNKNOWN}[
]{RISK: EXTREME}[
He frowned. "You've got a sense of timing, system."
Aeris tilted her head. "System?"
He froze, caught. "...Just a figure of speech."
She didn't press. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment—long enough to know she wasn't fooled—but she let it slide. "Fine. Whatever it is, if it keeps you alive, I'll take it."
The hall's light shifted to gold as the morning sun broke fully through the clouds. The rain-soaked city glittered beyond the glass, a thousand streets breathing life again.
Raiden holstered his sword and straightened. "We'll need supplies, transport, and information. If Black Halo's behind the corruption, they won't stop at one forest."
Aeris nodded, adjusting her gloves. "Then let's make sure they regret touching it at all."
As they left the Hub together, whispers followed them—curiosity, awe, and quiet fear. A Level 7 adventurer rising in less than a week, a mysterious girl connected to a fallen inventor, and a quest flagged extreme by the Hub's network. It all sounded like a myth taking shape.
But for Raiden, the myth wasn't what mattered. What mattered was the storm gathering again—this time not in the forest, but in the hearts of those who thought they could play god and never pay the price.
And in that storm's shadow, lightning was already waiting to strike.