The moonless night once again blanketed the sky. In two different locations, the Shadow Corps moved with lethal precision.
Marlen Village – Second Warehouse
Livy crouched atop an old wooden warehouse, her green eyes scanning the area carefully. A white wolf mask covered her face. Beside her, Mira gripped the Wrath Axe tightly, while Kaguya melted into the shadows.
"Lora, report," Livy whispered through the voice crystal.
"Eighteen guards. Ten outside, eight inside. No Silver-rank captain detected. Thirty-one captives inside—mostly children." Lora's voice was calm and professional.
Livy nodded. "Everyone, move."
They descended silently. Two hundred meters away, Lora released six arrows in rapid succession—six guards collapsed with arrows through their throats, dead before they could scream. Kaguya emerged from the shadows like a phantom, both kunai piercing the hearts of two gatekeepers simultaneously. Blood sprayed, yet no one heard a sound.
"Outer guards clear. Time: two minutes fifteen seconds," Lora reported.
Livy and her team stormed inside. Livy swung her sword with the Void Technique—three guards were cleanly bisected, their Mana defenses as fragile as paper. Mira slammed her axe down brutally, cleaving two guards from shoulder to waist. Kaguya moved like a shadow, throwing three kunai that pierced the throats of the remaining guards.
Within three minutes, all interior guards were down.
"Total: twenty-two minutes. Thirty-one captives rescued. No casualties on our side."
Rothen Village – Third Warehouse
Elsewhere, Tina led the second team. The operation was faster—only twelve guards and sixteen captives.
Tina's Gáe Bolg Spear danced like a reaper's waltz—piercing four hearts in a single swing. Sasa cracked her whip, lightning striking three guards at once. Mia leapt with gleaming claws, slashing two guards in an instant. Kagura moved like a phantom; her kunai sank into the final guard's throat.
"Fifteen minutes. Sixteen captives rescued. Mission complete."
Both warehouses burned with Nora's eternal blue flame—nothing remained.
Thanks to her teleportation magic, Nora could travel between both locations effortlessly.
Ferez Company Office – Morning
Livy sat in her director's chair, pen in hand. Her blue business dress was neat and elegant—no trace of the killer from the night before. She wrote two reports:
Report 1: Ferez Company Finances
Monthly profit: 172,500 gold (+15%)
New contract: 10,000 sacks of rice with the Kingdom of Avalon (50,000 gold)
New branch in Marden City: construction 70% complete
Report 2: Shadow Corps Operations (CONFIDENTIAL)
Kardan Operation: 23 captives rescued, 15 guards eliminated, 18 minutes
Marlen Operation: 31 captives rescued, 18 guards eliminated, 22 minutes
Rothen Operation: 16 captives rescued, 12 guards eliminated, 15 minutes
Total: 70 captives rescued from three warehouses
Shadow Corps casualties: 0
Livy smiled faintly, but the smile quickly vanished as she read the attachment from Lora.
EMERGENCY REPORT – HIGH PRIORITY
From: Lora (Intelligence Division)
To: Livy (Commander of the Shadow Corps)
Subject: Syndicate Investigation – Captain Voran
One of our informants reports that Captain Voran (High Silver rank, former Investigator of the Gloria Kingdom) has begun analyzing our strike patterns.
Voran's Findings:
All three warehouses were attacked on moonless nights.
All guards died with no visible signs of combat.
Warehouses were burned using high-level magical fire (possibly Gold-rank or higher).
Traces of faint chaotic Mana detected at the Kardan site.
Voran's Conclusion:
This is not an ordinary assault. There is a professional organization with elite military training in action.
RECOMMENDATION:
Next operation should be postponed or canceled. The enemy has begun anticipating us.
Livy read the report three times. Her hand trembled slightly—not from fear, but frustration.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"The only choice now… is to report this to Lord Zeref."
Border Forest – Same Time
In the middle of the forest lay a massive bear. But unlike normal bears, this one was at least twice the usual size.
It was dead. Its jaws were lined with sharp fangs, its red eyes frozen wide in disbelief. An arrow was buried perfectly in its heart.
A boy sat on the fallen beast. He looked around fifteen—handsome, with jet-black hair and deep crimson eyes. His frame was lean yet tall, radiating both innocence and maturity in a paradox that made his presence bewildering.
This was Zeref. He stared absently at the sky.
Standing, he blew a whistle. Instantly, the trees around him shook, and several toppled.
From the distance, a massive black wolf emerged. Its deep blue eyes gleamed with intelligence, its jaws carrying another slain bear.
Upon seeing Zeref, the wolf dropped the carcass and approached him. As it did, its size shrank—it transformed from a ferocious beast into a cute little wolf pup.
"I guess you had fun hunting," Zeref said.
"Yeah! I had to stretch my body," the wolf replied.
Strangely, the wolf spoke in a feminine voice. She leapt onto his shoulder, and Zeref merely patted her head as she purred softly.
"Are you sure you're not a cat?"
"Hmph, mock me all you like—but just wait until this lady fully awakens her bloodline. You'll be kneeling on my lap, begging to stay close to me."
"Alright then, I'll be waiting for that day."
Zeref chuckled softly and patted her again. Much had changed over the past five months. After bringing the wolf back to the inn, he had taken care of her—and through careful persuasion, she agreed to become his partner.
Before she could fully awaken her bloodline, they made a pact and began traveling, fighting, and adventuring together.
Perhaps that was why she chose to take the form of a girl and asked Zeref to name her. So he gave her the name Skadi—after the name of a goddess. She seemed to love it, as she had jumped around joyfully ever since.