The towering gates of Caldris loomed under torchlight as Ethan finally stepped through, dirt-streaked and sore from the Ravager battle. The guards glanced his way but said nothing — travelers returned at all hours, and one more bloodied adventurer didn't warrant concern.
But Ethan's mind was still reeling.
A Class C beast. That shouldn't have been anywhere near the Eastern Outskirts. And the System knew it — even gave him an emergency boost. But the question lingered like a splinter in his thoughts:
Why was it there?
He tightened his grip on the pouch of Moonblossom petals and quickened his pace toward the adventurer's guild.
The warm lights of the guildhall offered a small measure of comfort after the dark, tense woods. Inside, the atmosphere was as lively as ever — clinks of mugs, dice rolling on wooden tables, arguments over loot splits, and laughter echoing from corner booths. Adventurers of every stripe mingled under the high-beamed ceiling, but none paid Ethan much attention.
He moved toward the reception desk.
Elira was still on shift, her auburn hair now pulled into a loose bun. She looked up from her crystal terminal, and her eyes widened.
"You're back late… and injured."
"I ran into something unexpected," Ethan muttered, dropping the stamped quest slip and the pouch onto the desk.
Elira opened the pouch, inspected the glowing Moonblossom petals, and nodded. "These are fresh. You did well."
Her fingers glided over the crystal surface. Ethan's guild card pulsed faintly in his pocket as the system registered the quest completion.
[Quest Complete — Reward: 15 Silver Pieces]
[Reputation Gained: +10 (Caldris Guild)]
[Updated Adventurer Rank: E → E+]
Note: Adventurer Rank adjusted slightly due to exceptional combat report. Full rank advancement to D requires Guild evaluation.
A chime in his head confirmed the update. But before he could fully process it, Elira leaned in slightly, her smile replaced by concern.
"What did you run into out there?"
Ethan hesitated, then said carefully, "A Nightcrawler Ravager."
Elira froze. Her fingers stopped mid-swipe. Around them, the general buzz of the guild continued, but Ethan could see the shift in her eyes.
"That's a Class C beast," she said quietly. "Those are never this close to Caldris."
"I know."
She tapped a few more keys on her terminal, frowning. "I'll file an incident report. This might trigger a reassessment of the Outskirts' danger zone."
Before Ethan could respond, a shadow stepped up beside him.
"Did I hear that right?" said a low voice.
Ethan turned. A tall young man stood next to him, lean and dressed in dark leathers, with a longsword strapped to his back. His hair was raven-black and tied loosely, and his expression held a kind of lazy curiosity.
"Elira," the man said, "if that thing was really a Ravager, someone needs to sweep the whole forest line."
"You're not wrong, Kael," Elira replied with a sigh. "But the guild won't act unless more cases pop up."
Kael. The name sounded familiar.
"Elira, Kael… as in Kael Veyren?" Ethan asked slowly.
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Heard of me?"
"Yeah. A few adventurers mentioned you earlier this week."
Kael smirked and offered a hand. "Guess I've got a reputation. You're the new guy. Ethan, right?"
"Right."
Kael's grip was firm. "Not bad, surviving a Ravager alone."
Ethan gave a tired laugh. "Barely."
Kael glanced toward Elira. "Put me on patrol duty. I'll take a few from my team and check the area east of the Moonblossom trail."
"I'll log it," she said. "Thanks, Kael."
As Kael turned to leave, he gave Ethan a quick nod. "Watch your back. Elyndra's been acting strange lately."
Ethan sat near one of the quieter corners of the hall with a simple bowl of stew. His body ached, and his thoughts were still spinning. He opened his phone quietly.
The Arkanom interface hovered again, pulsing softly.
[New Notification — System Sync Threshold Nearing]
[Additional Features Unlockable Soon]
That again. It had mentioned thresholds before, but now it seemed like he was getting close to some kind of system upgrade. His progress must be triggering it.
He opened his stats menu, still unfamiliar but slowly becoming more intuitive.
Ethan Cross
Adventurer Rank: E+
Swordsmanship Lv. 2
Reflex Boost (Passive - Minor)
Adaptive Focus Protocol (Cooldown: 3 Days)
Sync Rate: 42%
Energy Core: Dormant
What is the Energy Core?
He tapped the prompt, but the description was still grayed out. Not yet accessible. Another piece of the puzzle.
And that wasn't all. The guild had more than adventurers. It had politics. Kael's presence hinted at deeper power structures — and Ethan had already heard whispers of nobles who kept tabs on promising recruits.
He wasn't sure if that meant danger or opportunity.
Later that night, as he left the guild and made his way to his inn, Ethan passed by a group of cloaked figures standing just off the main plaza. Their presence didn't immediately register — until he saw one of them glance up.
Eyes met his.
Briefly — too briefly — Ethan saw something beneath the hood: a glint of silver, not metal but eyes. Inhuman, faintly glowing. Not beastkin. Not elf. Something else.
The figure turned away quickly, disappearing into the alley.
Ethan stood there a moment, heart suddenly thudding louder in his ears.
Was it watching me?
The Arkanom pulsed faintly in his pocket. But no warning came.
Still, Ethan felt a chill crawl down his spine.
The Ravager… the eyes… the system's "Sync Threshold"...
He exhaled slowly and turned toward his inn.
Something was unfolding — and he had just stepped onto a path far more dangerous than gathering herbs.
And much harder to walk away from.