The Guild's main hall was chaos. By the time we burst in, several monsters were already tearing through the room, scattering overturned chairs and shredded banners across the marble floor while adventurers and staff scrambled to fight or flee. The air smelled of smoke and iron. Someone screamed as another table went flying, splintering into pieces against a pillar.
"Damn it, monsters actually got inside the Guild…!" I cursed, drawing my sword. The steel hissed as it left the scabbard. Beside me, Lilis was already twirling her daggers into a ready grip, green eyes glinting with an almost reckless spark. Cain's lips moved fast in an incantation, quiet and precise, while Cecilia's hands glowed faintly as she prepared healing spells, her voice trembling as she whispered prayers under her breath.
The floor was gouged with claw marks, and chunks of broken furniture littered the ground. Guild staff were rushing toward the exits in a panic, and the few adventurers still standing had sweat dripping from their brows as they tried to hold the line.
"Never thought we'd end up fighting in here of all places!" Lilis laughed breathlessly as she dove into one monster's blind spot. Her twin daggers flashed—but then its eyes flared crimson, and all at once the beasts moved like a unit, snapping back at her with eerie timing.
"This is strange… their movements are scattered, but sometimes they act in perfect sync…" Caina muttered, her brow furrowed. Lightning burst from her staff with a sharp crack, striking one square in the chest and scorching the floor, but the thing barely slowed before lunging again.
"So this really is tied to the app going haywire…?" I slashed one away from a staff member and quickly scanned the room. The other adventurers were fighting hard but struggling badly.
"Tch… if only Elsa were here, the front line wouldn't be crumbling like this…!" I grit my teeth. Without her strength to anchor us, our formation kept breaking apart.
"Leon, think later! Right now we survive!" Lilis yelled, slicing clean across a monster's throat in a streak of silver.
Then a booming voice cut through the noise. "Stay calm! Regroup and fight together!"
Galahad Strauss crashed into the fray like a boulder in motion, his massive greatsword carving a wide arc that sent several beasts tumbling. Just seeing him standing there, unshaken in the middle of the chaos, steadied the others—adventurers started shouting to each other again, forming ranks around him.
But something about the way the monsters moved caught my eye. They weren't just attacking at random.
"They're… guarding something?" Cain's voice sharpened. Her gaze locked on the heavy iron door at the far end of the hall—the entrance to the underground archive. Its surface reflected the dim light dully, and the air around it seemed… cold, almost unnaturally so.
"Could there be something inside the underground archive?" I muttered.
Galahad's jaw tightened. "…This attack is no coincidence."
We fought our way forward, cutting down anything that blocked our path, edging closer to that door. Then—
"Everyone down!!" Edmond's voice cracked like a whip.
A heartbeat later, one of the monsters exploded outward in a blast of force, and a wave of pitch-black mist poured over the room. It clung to my skin like oil, choking and cold. My vision dimmed.
"Ugh—what is this…!? My body… feels heavy…!" My knees buckled. All around us, adventurers dropped to the floor one by one.
"This is… miasma magic…!?" Caina gasped, eyes wide.
"Leon, hang on! Everyone, light's blessing—!" Cecilia's voice trembled but stayed steady as she cast, and a soft glow spread from her hands. The mist recoiled and thinned, burning away until air rushed back into my lungs.
"Saved us… but these things aren't wild. Someone sent them," I muttered, gripping my sword tighter.
"Fall back!" Edmond's voice cut through the fading haze. He drew his slender sword and dashed forward. Every strike hit a vital point, slicing through thick hides as if they were paper, his feet moving so fast his coat barely fluttered. Blood flashed through the air as he weaved between claws and teeth, never wasting a single motion.
"He's strong…!" Lilis whispered, eyes wide.
"These aren't just monsters. If they're being controlled… then we end this quickly!" Edmond's voice rang sharp as he drove magic through his blade and cleaved a whole cluster of them down in one clean arc.
"Unbelievable…" I breathed. His technique was flawless—every movement spoke of endless real combat.
"In any case, we must investigate the underground archive." Galahad strode to the iron door, planted his massive hand on the lock, and turned it. The heavy mechanism groaned as the door opened, and a wave of cold air slithered out from the darkness beyond, carrying a pressure that raised goosebumps along my arms.
"I'll stay here and take command," Galahad said without looking back. "You go below. Be cautious."
We nodded. My fingers tightened on my sword as we stepped into the black.
The stairway curled down into the depths, carved from stone. Dim magelight flickered in iron brackets along the walls, casting pale blue shadows that danced and crawled like thin hands as we passed. The air grew heavier the deeper we went.
"…This place gives me the creeps," Lilis muttered, eyes darting around.
"This isn't a normal archive. There's a barrier here," Caina said quietly, running his hand over the wall as he walked. "They wouldn't protect it this heavily just for storing ordinary records."
The corridor ended at a towering door engraved with ancient script, its surface studded with faintly glowing metal. The glow pulsed softly, like a slow heartbeat.
"Either way… something important is behind this," I said, staring at it.
We checked our gear, our breaths quiet and tense, and began searching for any clue to unlock this mystery.
None of us knew what was waiting for us inside.
Notes:
• Cecilia - Gentle yet firm healer (v1c11) — Leon's emotional support and moral anchor. Wields holy healing and purification magic. Graceful, golden hair, violet eyes. Reminder: Kind priestess with hidden resolve.
• Lilis - Agile rogue/thief — Leon's close friend and playful teaser. Strikes fast with twin daggers and vanishes into stealth. Petite, light-blonde hair, mischievous green eyes. Reminder: Playful trickster hiding sharp instincts.
• Cain - Calm, brilliant mage — the group's strategist and analyst. Uses lightning magic with precise, logical focus. Slender, silver hair, calm blue eyes. Reminder: Stoic thinker and precision spellcaster.
• Elsa - Proud red-haired warrior — once a frontline fighter, deeply trusts (and loves) Leon. Masters raw strength and combat. Tall, long crimson hair, fierce golden eyes. Reminder: Fierce protector, sharper after her return.
• Galahad - Adventurers' Guildmaster (v1c12) — commands respect, guards Guild neutrality yet values Leon's resolve. Master greatsword user and morale pillar. Broad-shouldered, graying black hair, piercing dark eyes. Reminder: Stern but honorable veteran leader.
• Edmond - Vice-guildmaster (v1c12) — secretly aids Leon despite neutrality. Expert in swift swordplay and covert tactics. Lean, short dark-brown hair, steel-gray eyes. Reminder: Sharp-eyed tactician who works from the shadows.