His sharp eyes immediately locked onto Seojun’s arm.
The parasite.
It twitched slightly, sensing the attention, its surface pulsing faintly.
The old man stopped a few steps away.
“…Interesting,” he murmured.
Luma leaned toward Seojun.
“That sounded ominous.”
Seojun whispered back, “Could be worse. He didn’t say ‘kill them.'”
The old man studied them for a long moment before speaking again.
“You two arrived at a very specific time.”
Seojun tilted his head.
“Specific how?”
The leader slowly planted the tip of his massive blade into the sand.
“Long ago, our tribe’s seers spoke of a prophecy.”
Several nearby warriors lowered their heads slightly as he spoke.
“The prophecy says that when the wasteland grows unstable… when the tribes are scattered and weakened… when monsters begin to dominate the hunting lands…”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“…a pair of outsiders will appear.”
Luma blinked
He gestured between the two of them.
“The prophecy says the pair will first arrive here, to this tribe.”
Seojun raised an eyebrow.
“Well that’s convenient.”
“These two outsiders will begin the restoration of the tribes’ united power. One tribe at a time. One bond at a time.”
A quiet murmur spread through the warriors around them.
Seojun crossed his arms.
“So you’re saying we’re supposed to unite all the tribes.”
“That is what the prophecy claims.”
The old man slowly reached into the folds of his coat.
When his hand emerged, he held two small stones.
Each one was smooth and dark, about the size of a coin.
Strange glowing inscriptions were carved into their surfaces symbols that neither Seojun nor Luma had ever seen before.
The markings pulsed faintly, almost like they were alive.
The leader extended his hand.
“These artifacts have been passed down through my ancestors for generations.”
Seojun carefully took one of the stones.
The moment it touched his hand, the parasite on his arm reacted slightly, tightening as if it could sense the energy inside it.
Luma accepted the second stone, turning it over curiously.
“What are they?”
The leader shook his head.
“The prophecy did not say.”
Seojun smirked.
“That’s helpful.”
The old man gave a small shrug.
“It only said this: When the pair arrives, give them the ancient stones. They will discover their purpose when the time is right.”
For now, it seemed completely dormant.
Luma looked around the camp.
The tribe leader gestured toward the village behind him.
“For now, nothing.”
The tension in the warriors eased slightly as they returned to their tasks.
“You have traveled far. Learn how we live. Speak with our people.”
He turned and began walking back toward the center of the camp.
“Explore our village.”
Seojun slipped the strange stone into his pocket.
Luma leaned closer to him and whispered,
“You realize that thing is absolutely going to unlock some crazy quest later.”
Seojun grinned.
“Yeah.”
Then…
A bright flash of blue light suddenly appeared in the air above them.
A message window popped into existence, hovering across the sky where every player in the area could see it.
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
One hour until scheduled break.
Break duration: 30 minutes.
A few people in the camp groaned.
Luma blinked and rubbed her eyes.
“Oh right… I forgot about that.”
Seojun stretched his arms slightly.
“Thirty-minute break,” he said.
“Guess the system wants everyone to log out and rest.”