The distant outline of the capital's walls shimmered faintly on the horizon. Kael stood atop the cart, wind ruffling his hair as the road curved gently downward. Erion's caravan had finally made it to the outer main road that led to the city—just a few days away.
"We're close," Erion said, pulling his cloak tighter. "Shouldn't be long now."
Kael nodded. The past few weeks had been a strange mix of peace and tension. The frequency of monster attacks had diminished sharply, and that alone had made everyone uneasy.
"Too quiet," Thorne muttered from the front. "I don't like it."
Neither did Kael. But what happened next still caught him off guard.
They were crossing a narrow, wooded stretch when the trees darkened unnaturally—shadows creeping with impossible speed. Shapes emerged from the forest, cloaked figures wearing masks painted with twisting black symbols.
"Shadow beast slayers," one of them hissed, voice filled with disdain. "You've interfered with the Lord's plans long enough."
Kael's hand went to his sword instinctively. "Cultists?"
Mira stood beside him, her fingers already glowing with pale light.
"You've been destroying his creations," the lead cultist continued, voice rising. "You will pay in blood."
Kael's interface chimed sharply.
---
[Emergency Quest Issued: Destroy the Source]
Details: Eliminate the cultist threat.
Reward: +5 Levels
---
The cultists struck fast. Blades shimmering with dark magic, they moved in sync—well-trained and deadly. But what made them even more dangerous was the shield of mana that surrounded them like armor. It wasn't physical, but Kael could see it with Omni-Vision—dense clusters of energy packed around their bodies, deflecting incoming attacks.
Kael tried to teleport his usual spiked projectiles, but they bounced off the mana barriers.
"They're using mana as a shield!" he shouted, ducking behind a tree. "There are gaps—but they're small and moving!"
The battle became a brutal chess match. He had to read the flow of energy, predict the shifts in the mana barrier, and strike with perfect precision.
Mira, realizing his struggle, flanked one of the cultists and activated her light-weaving ability. Blinding strands of magic lit up the battlefield, creating blind spots in the cultists' vision. The cultists faltered, staggering as bursts of light disrupted their coordination.
"That's your window!" Mira yelled.
Kael didn't hesitate. With Omni-Vision active, he pinpointed a gap near the lead cultist's neck—his mana barrier thinned from distraction.
Kael teleported a razor-sharp stone shard directly through the opening. It pierced clean through. The cultist fell, gurgling.
One by one, they turned the tide. Bran and Thorne took wounds—nothing fatal, but serious. Kael used his blade and magic together, exploiting every weak spot with surgical precision.
At last, only bodies remained.
Except… one figure lingered in the shadows.
Kael turned just in time to catch a glimpse of a masked cultist retreating into the woods—he hadn't fought, only watched.
"He was observing," Erion muttered grimly. "That's not good."
Kael's interface flared again.
---
[Emergency Quest Complete]
+5 Levels Awarded
[Combat Experience: +5 Levels]
Total Level Gained: +10]
---
He stood there breathing heavily, soaked in sweat and blood. His body ached. But something inside had shifted—he'd seen real battle. Real danger.
And he had survived.
No… he had won.