The next morning arrived beneath a pale golden sky.
For the first time since they had settled beside the waterfall, the house felt strangely empty.
Everything had been packed.
The rooms that once carried the sounds of training, arguments, laughter, and late-night conversations were now almost completely bare.
Juno stood at the entrance with several bags over his shoulders, checking their supplies one final time.
"Food?"
"Packed," Riven answered.
"Medicine?"
"Packed."
"Weapons?"
Kael lifted his blade.
"Already on me."
Juno looked toward Ash.
"Clothing?"
Ash nodded.
"Packed."
Finally, Juno looked at Lunaria.
"And the System?"
Lunaria glanced at the empty house.
"It knows we're leaving."
Riven frowned.
"That isn't exactly an answer."
"It doesn't need to be."
Kael sighed.
"Of course."
Ash stepped outside.
He stopped for a moment and looked at the waterfall.
The place seemed almost untouched by the terrible battles that had occurred there.
The stream still flowed.
The trees still moved with the breeze.
Birds still flew through the warm sky.
But Ash remembered everything.
The first time they had arrived.
The endless running.
The combat training.
The killing-intent exercises.
The berserk battles.
The night when he and Lunaria had finally admitted what they meant to each other.
This valley had changed them.
And now they were leaving it behind.
Lunaria appeared beside him.
"You're hesitating."
Ash smiled faintly.
"Just remembering."
"Good memories?"
"Most of them."
Lunaria looked toward the waterfall.
"Then we haven't lost anything."
Ash turned toward him.
"How do you figure?"
"We're carrying them with us."
Ash stared at him for a moment before smiling.
"You've gotten surprisingly sentimental."
Lunaria raised an eyebrow.
"Have I?"
"Yes."
"I blame you."
Ash laughed.
Behind them, Riven groaned.
"Are you two finished saying goodbye to the waterfall?"
Ash turned.
"Give us a minute."
"We've given you ten."
Kael shook his head.
"Let them have their moment."
Juno sighed.
"We need to leave before midday."
Lunaria looked at the three men.
"Then let's go."
---
They stood at the edge of the valley.
Four S-ranked hunters and the man who had trained them beyond every conventional limit.
For a moment, none of them moved.
Then Lunaria raised one hand.
"Remember the first rule."
Kael smiled.
"Don't fall behind."
"Second?"
Riven answered.
"Never waste movement."
Juno continued.
"Control your mana."
Ash looked at Lunaria.
"And never forget why we're moving forward."
Lunaria nodded.
"Exactly."
Then—
"Three."
The four hunters lowered their bodies.
"Two."
Mana began circulating through their cores.
"One."
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath their feet.
They vanished.
---
Their speed was terrifying.
The valley disappeared behind them within seconds.
Trees became streaks.
Rivers became silver lines.
Mountains that once appeared enormous from the valley became distant shadows.
They didn't run like ordinary people.
They moved like forces of nature.
Every step carried enough power to crack stone.
Every change of direction sent shockwaves through the surrounding terrain.
Yet their movements were no longer reckless.
Months of Lunaria's training had transformed their speed into precision.
Ash moved near the front, his eyes focused on Lunaria.
Kael kept pace beside him.
Riven moved through the shadows of the terrain, occasionally disappearing completely.
Juno maintained a steady rhythm behind them, conserving energy instead of wasting it.
Lunaria remained ahead.
Not far.
Just enough.
He wasn't racing them.
He was guiding them.
After several hours, the landscape changed.
The peaceful forests disappeared.
In their place stood enormous stretches of barren land.
The farther they traveled, the stronger the mana became.
Ash noticed it first.
"Something changed."
Kael nodded.
"The mana density increased."
Juno's eyes narrowed.
"There's a large settlement ahead."
Riven appeared beside them.
"Settlement?"
Juno nodded.
"Not a small one."
Lunaria slowed.
The others followed.
Far ahead, beyond a wide plain, stood enormous walls.
A city.
Its walls stretched for miles, reinforced with countless layers of magical barriers.
Watchtowers stood at regular intervals.
Hundreds of guards occupied the gates.
And above the central entrance floated a gigantic crystal.
It pulsed with powerful mana.
Ash stared.
"So that's one of the central cities?"
Lunaria nodded.
"Yes."
Kael smiled.
"Looks heavily defended."
"It is."
"Against what?"
Lunaria's eyes narrowed.
"Everything."
---
They continued toward the city.
But before they could reach the gates—
Lunaria stopped.
The others immediately stopped as well.
Ash looked around.
"What happened?"
Lunaria didn't answer.
His gaze was fixed on the sky.
The others followed his eyes.
Nothing.
Just clouds.
Then—
A faint black line appeared.
Ash's expression hardened.
"The same thing."
Juno immediately activated his perception skill.
"I can't detect anything."
Riven disappeared using concealment.
Kael drew his weapon.
The black line slowly widened.
Lunaria's aura began rising.
Not enough to attack.
Just enough to warn.
Then a voice entered their minds.
"You left the valley."
Ash's eyes widened.
Lunaria stared at the sky.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To find you."
Silence.
The presence seemed amused.
"You think you can find me?"
Lunaria's eyes became colder.
"No."
He raised his chin.
"I think you'll find me."
The others looked at him.
The black line trembled.
Then the voice returned.
"Confident."
Lunaria smiled.
"Experienced."
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
The black line disappeared.
The sky returned to normal.
Riven reappeared.
"That thing is getting annoying."
Kael lowered his weapon.
"Can we stop it from watching us?"
Lunaria nodded.
"Eventually."
Ash looked toward him.
"Eventually?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"When we're strong enough to reach where it's hiding."
Juno adjusted his glasses.
"That means it has a physical location."
"Everything has one."
Riven smirked.
"Even gods?"
Lunaria looked at him.
"Especially gods."
---
They finally reached the city gates.
Hundreds of people moved through the enormous entrance.
Merchants.
Hunters.
Adventurers.
Guild officials.
Soldiers.
The moment Lunaria and the others approached, conversations began fading.
People noticed them.
First Kael.
Then Riven.
Then Juno.
Then Ash.
But when their eyes reached Lunaria—
The entire atmosphere changed.
His long silver hair flowed behind him.
His expression remained calm.
His presence was completely suppressed.
Yet something about him made people instinctively move aside.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"Who are they?"
"Hunters?"
"They look incredibly strong."
"Look at their insignias."
"S-ranked?"
The guards immediately became alert.
One of them stepped forward.
"Stop."
The group halted.
The guard looked at their guild emblems.
His expression changed.
"S-ranked hunters?"
"Yes," Juno answered.
The guard looked at Lunaria.
"And him?"
Lunaria said nothing.
Ash stepped forward.
"He's with us."
The guard swallowed.
"Is he registered?"
"No."
The guard's expression became nervous.
"Then I need to verify his identity."
Lunaria finally spoke.
"Go ahead."
The guard activated a detection crystal.
The crystal immediately turned black.
The guard froze.
The crystal cracked.
CRACK.
Everyone nearby stepped backward.
The guard stared at the broken crystal.
"What…"
Juno's expression changed.
"That crystal can't measure him."
Lunaria looked at the shattered device.
"Apparently."
Suddenly—
A bell rang from the top of the gate.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The entire city became alert.
Ash looked around.
"What does that mean?"
Kael smiled faintly.
"It means we have arrived."
Lunaria looked toward the city.
"No."
His eyes narrowed.
"It means someone already knows we're here."
Above the city, hundreds of magical formations activated.
The sky filled with glowing symbols.
People began running.
Guards rushed toward the gates.
And from the highest tower—
A powerful presence emerged.
Someone was coming.
Ash tightened his grip on his weapon.
Riven vanished.
Kael prepared himself.
Juno began calculating escape routes.
Lunaria simply stood still.
The presence descended.
A figure landed before them.
The impact cracked the ground.
The guards immediately bowed.
"Guild Master!"
The man slowly raised his head.
His eyes moved across the four S-ranked hunters.
Then they stopped on Lunaria.
His expression changed.
Fear.
Recognition.
And disbelief.
"You…"
Lunaria stared back.
The guild master took one step backward.
"I thought that was impossible."
Ash frowned.
"You know him?"
The guild master didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on Lunaria.
Then he whispered—
"The Abyssal One has entered the central city."
Silence.
Lunaria's eyes narrowed.
"I have a name."
The guild master swallowed.
"Lunaria."
The moment he said the name—
Every magical formation above the city went dark.
And somewhere far beyond the walls—
Something laughed.