The battlefield fell silent.
Smoke drifted through the ruined eastern gate.
The crackling of burning timber was the only sound that remained.
Every hunter.
Every villager.
Every Crystal Wolf.
All eyes were fixed on the towering beast standing beyond the tree line.
Its crimson gaze never left me.
“Origin…
Heir…”
The words echoed through the village.
Slow.
Ancient.
As though the creature had not spoken in centuries.
Hunter Bran’s grip tightened around his axe.
“…It spoke.”
Hunter Ellis swallowed hard.
“Since when can beasts speak?”
Elder Rowan’s expression became grim.
“Not beasts…”
“…Something else.”
The Origin Core appeared before my eyes.
Enemy Analysis Initiated…
Designation: Corrupted Alpha
Status: Incomplete Evolution
Threat Level: Extremely High
Recommendation: Avoid Direct Combat
Estimated Survival Probability (Host): 4.8%
Four point eight percent.
It was the lowest survival estimate I had ever seen.
My heartbeat remained steady.
Not because I wasn’t afraid.
Because fear wouldn’t change the situation.
The Alpha took another step forward.
Each footfall cracked the earth beneath it.
The Crystal Wolves immediately spread into formation.
Not randomly.
They divided into groups, slowly surrounding the village from three directions.
Hunter Milo’s eyes widened.
“They’re cutting off our escape routes.”
Hunter Daren nodded.
“They’re being commanded.”
The realization sent a chill through everyone present.
This wasn’t another beast tide.
It was an organized assault.
The Alpha finally spoke again.
Its voice was rough, as though every word scraped against stone.
“Return…”
It paused.
Almost as if searching for forgotten memories.
“…the Key.”
Every muscle in my body stiffened.
The Key.
It wasn’t talking about the Origin Core.
It meant the relic I had just received.
The First Origin Key.
How could it possibly know?
Without warning—
The symbol on the back of my right hand burned.
A pulse of silver light spread beneath my skin before fading.
The Alpha narrowed its glowing eyes.
A low growl escaped its throat.
“It…is…you.”
Hunter Milo immediately stepped in front of me.
“You’ll have to get through us first.”
One by one, every hunter moved into position.
Even those carrying injuries stood their ground.
Grandma Mira hurried the remaining villagers toward the western side of the village.
Children clung to their parents.
No one screamed.
No one panicked.
Ashwood had endured hardship before.
They knew fear could wait until after survival.
The Alpha raised one claw.
The Crystal Wolves immediately stopped moving.
Absolute discipline.
Then it pointed directly at me.
“Surrender.”
“…and the others…live.”
Silence followed.
The hunters looked toward me.
Not with blame.
With determination.
Hunter Bran spat onto the ground.
“We don’t trade children.”
Hunter Ellis smiled.
“Especially not our own.”
Milo rested his spear across his shoulder.
“Besides…”
“I’ve never liked taking orders.”
A ripple of laughter spread through the hunters.
Short.
Nervous.
But genuine.
Even facing overwhelming odds…
No one considered handing me over.
Something tightened inside my chest.
In my previous life…
I had often felt alone.
Here…
These people had chosen me as family.
The Origin Core responded.
Emotional Synchronization Achieved.
Village Bond Recognized.
Effect: Mental resistance increased when protecting allies.
A warm current spread through my body.
The fear that had lingered in my heart began to fade.
Not disappear.
Transform.
Into resolve.
The Alpha slowly lowered its claw.
“So…”
“…you choose…”
“…extinction.”
The crimson light within its eyes intensified.
Dark mist poured from the black crystals covering its body.
The surrounding Crystal Wolves howled in unison.
The sound shook the forest itself.
Birds fled into the sky.
The ground trembled.
Hunter Rowan lifted his staff.
“Hunters!”
His voice rang across the battlefield.
“Protect the village!”
A deafening roar answered him.
The battle began.
The first wave charged like a black tide.
Crystal Wolves leaped over the broken gate while others crashed through weakened sections of the wooden wall.
Hunter Bran met the first beast head-on.
His axe split crystal and bone in a single strike.
Hunter Ellis fired arrow after arrow, each one finding its target.
Milo fought like flowing water.
Every thrust of his spear stopped another wolf before it could reach the villagers.
I joined the defensive line beside Daren.
The upgraded Spiritual Perception transformed the battlefield.
I could sense hostile spiritual fluctuations moments before each attack.
“Duck!”
I shouted.
Daren instinctively lowered his head.
A Crystal Wolf flew over him.
Before it could recover, my spear struck its ribs.
Daren finished it with one clean slash.
He glanced at me in surprise.
“You saw that coming?”
“I…
felt it.”
There wasn’t time to explain.
More wolves were already charging.
High above the battlefield…
The Corrupted Alpha remained still.
Watching.
Waiting.
As if the battle below was merely a test.
Then…
Its gaze shifted toward the burning eastern gate.
Toward the place where the underground sanctuary lay hidden beneath the forest.
A faint smile appeared on its monstrous face.
Almost…
As though its true objective had never been Ashwood at all.
The Corrupted Alpha didn’t move.
It simply watched.
Its crimson eyes drifted past the hunters, past the burning cottages, and toward the eastern forest.
Toward the hidden sanctuary.
My heart sank.
It isn’t trying to conquer Ashwood…
It’s trying to reach Sanctuary Seventeen.
The Origin Core flashed urgently.
Analysis Complete.
Enemy Objective: Acquire Legacy Key I.
Secondary Objective: Breach Origin Sanctuary.
Probability Assessment: 94.2%.
So the attack on Ashwood…
Had only been a distraction.
“Elder Rowan!”
I shouted over the chaos.
“It doesn’t care about the village!”
“It wants the sanctuary!”
Rowan glanced toward the Alpha.
Then toward the eastern forest.
Realization dawned in his eyes.
“Hunters!”
He raised his staff high.
“Second Squad with me!”
“We hold the eastern road!”
“Milo!”
“Protect Kael!”
The hunters reacted instantly.
Years of fighting together had taught them to trust Rowan’s judgment without hesitation.
Half of the hunters rushed to reinforce the eastern side of the village.
The remaining defenders tightened around the civilians.
The Alpha finally moved.
One slow step.
Then another.
It ignored the fighting completely.
Every Crystal Wolf that approached it lowered its head before continuing the assault.
As if obeying a king.
Hunter Bran charged.
“You’ll go no farther!”
His axe descended with tremendous force.
The Alpha raised one claw.
CLANG!
The impact echoed across the battlefield.
Bran’s massive axe…
Hadn’t even scratched the black crystal armor.
The Alpha casually swept its arm.
Bran was thrown through the air like a rag doll.
He crashed into the remains of a wooden fence.
“Bran!”
Hunter Ellis rushed to his side.
Bran coughed, forcing himself back to his feet.
“…Barely.”
For the first time…
Fear appeared on every hunter’s face.
The Origin Core reacted.
Threat Reassessment.
Corrupted Alpha Defense exceeds current offensive capability.
Recommended Strategy: Target exposed corruption nodes.
Scanning…
Silver lines appeared across the Alpha’s body.
Most vanished beneath its armor.
Only one remained.
A small crimson crystal embedded just below its throat.
Primary Weak Point Identified.
Success Probability: Low.
Low…
But not impossible.
“Milo!”
I called.
“The crystal on its neck!”
“It’s the weak point!”
Without questioning how I knew, Milo nodded.
“I’ll create an opening!”
He spun his spear once before sprinting forward.
His movements were fluid, almost impossible to follow.
The Alpha struck downward.
Milo sidestepped at the last instant.
The ground exploded beneath the creature’s claw.
Before it could recover, Milo thrust his spear directly toward the crimson crystal.
The Alpha twisted.
The spear grazed the crystal—
CRACK!
A tiny fracture appeared.
The Alpha roared.
Not in pain.
In anger.
Dark energy burst from the damaged crystal, forcing Milo backward.
“It worked!”
Hunter Daren shouted.
“You damaged it!”
The Alpha’s eyes burned brighter.
For the first time…
It regarded Milo as an actual threat.
Suddenly—
A howl echoed from deep within the forest.
Not from the battlefield.
Far beyond it.
The Corrupted Alpha froze.
Its ears twitched.
Another howl answered.
Then another.
The Origin Core pulsed violently.
Warning!
Additional Corrupted Signatures Detected.
Estimated Number…
Unable to Calculate.
Every hunter looked toward the dark forest.
The trees swayed.
Branches snapped.
Something enormous was moving.
No…
Many things.
The Alpha slowly lifted its head.
Instead of attacking…
It smiled.
A cold, unnatural smile.
“So…”
“The gate…”
“…has finally opened.”
The words sent a chill through my entire body.
The gate?
Before anyone could react—
The earth beneath the eastern forest erupted.
A pillar of black and crimson light shot into the sky.
It rose far above the treetops, piercing the clouds.
The sanctuary…
No.
Something beneath the sanctuary.
Had awakened.
The Origin Core filled my vision with crimson warnings.
CRITICAL ALERT
Origin Sanctuary Seventeen Integrity: 61%
Unknown Entity Awakening…
Classification: Sealed
Threat Level: Catastrophic
The Corrupted Alpha bowed its head toward the pillar of light.
Not in fear.
In reverence.
“It is time…”
“…for the Prison to break.”
A deafening roar shook the heavens.
It didn’t come from the Alpha.
It came from beneath the earth.
The same roar I had heard inside the sanctuary.
Except now…
It was no longer trapped.
The hunters stared at the pillar of crimson light.
The villagers clutched one another in terror.
Even Elder Rowan’s calm expression faltered.
I looked toward the distant forest, my hand instinctively gripping the mark of the First Origin Key.
For the first time since arriving in this world…
I understood that Ashwood had never been an ordinary village.
It had been built beside a prison.
And whatever had been imprisoned there…
Was beginning to awaken.