The ground trembled again. Dust shook loose from rooftops, and people shouted in panic.
"Lineage monsters!" someone yelled in the distance.
Adventurers rushed past us, weapons in hand, their footsteps rumbling across the cobblestones. Archers scrambled onto rooftops while mages gathered near the gates. The peaceful, lively city I'd just seen moments ago instantly turned into a fortress preparing for war.
And me? I was frozen in place, clutching my pouch where the orb pulsed faintly.
"Hey!" Erina snapped, grabbing my shoulder. "Don't just stand there. They're coming for you."
"Coming for me?!" My voice cracked. "You mean this entire mess is my fault?!"
She sighed. "Not your fault. But you're the target. If you stay in the open, you'll only make things worse."
Before I could argue, a deafening roar shook the ground. The city gates rattled as a massive figure emerged from the dark mist beyond the walls.
It was no ordinary monster. Its body was twisted with black veins glowing faintly, its eyes burning like embers. And in its claws—it carried a rusted cleaver big enough to slice a house in half.
The adventurers at the gates braced themselves.
"High Orc… Lineage-class!" one of them shouted.
My stomach dropped. That was the same kind of monster I fought earlier. The same kind that had dropped this cursed orb.
"Perfect," I muttered. "Deja vu, but worse."
The high orc let out a guttural bellow and slammed its cleaver against the ground, sending a shockwave that cracked the earth. Adventurers were thrown back like ragdolls.
"Damn it—" Erina gritted her teeth and pulled out her blade. "Stay behind me!"
But before she could rush forward, another figure grabbed her arm. The scar-faced officer from the Adventurer Faction.
"Erina! Don't waste your strength protecting him. He's the source of this mess. Let him deal with it."
"What?!" I shouted.
The man's glare burned into me. "If the orb resonates with him, then the monsters are after him. Let him prove whether he's worth keeping alive."
Erina opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. Even she couldn't deny the logic.
Meanwhile, the high orc raised its cleaver again. Its eyes locked onto me.
My body froze. My instincts screamed to run, but my legs wouldn't move.
"Damn it… again?" I muttered, forcing my trembling hands to draw my maguns.
The high orc charged, the ground shaking with each step. I fired rapidly, shots echoing across the battlefield. Sparks and smoke filled the air, but the monster barely flinched. Just like before, my attacks weren't enough.
"Not again…!" My chest tightened. If I used Mana Shot again, I'd burn through everything I had.
The high orc's cleaver came down.
I dove to the side just as the blade split the ground where I'd been standing. Stone shattered, dust exploded, and my ears rang from the impact.
The Adventurers watched, but none moved to help. Their eyes were cold, calculating, as if waiting to see me fail.
"Figures…" I spat, rolling to my feet. "This is just entertainment to you people, huh?"
The high orc roared and swung again. I aimed desperately and shouted, "Enchant Lightning!"
The magun blazed yellow, and I fired. The shot struck the monster's chest, sending arcs of lightning across its body. It screamed, staggering for a moment.
But it didn't fall.
Its burning eyes turned even fiercer.
"Tch…! This thing doesn't know when to quit."
I steadied my aim, preparing another enchant. But before I could fire, the ground beneath the monster suddenly cracked.
The cobblestones shifted… then reformed, rising into jagged spikes that pierced the high orc's legs.
"What the—?!" I froze.
The monster howled, thrashing as stone chains erupted from the ground, binding its limbs. The city itself seemed to fight back against it.
And then, a calm voice echoed from the rooftops.
"Sloppy aim. If you keep wasting mana like that, you'll be dead before him."
I looked up.
A lone figure stood above us, cloak fluttering in the dust-filled air. Their presence was nothing like the Adventurers or Administrators. Quiet, steady… but commanding.
The scar-faced officer muttered under his breath. "…The Builder."
"Builder?" I repeated.
The figure leapt down, landing softly despite the height. Their hand touched the ground, and the stone spikes shifted again—twisting, tightening, dragging the high orc to its knees.
The Builder glanced at me briefly. "You. Hold that orb tighter unless you want the next one breaking through."
Before I could respond, the stone spikes erupted upward in a final surge. The high orc let out a strangled roar before its body crumbled into black mist, vanishing just like the one I had defeated before.
Only silence remained.
I was left staring at the ground, chest heaving, maguns still trembling in my grip.
The Adventurers looked dissatisfied. Some disappointed. Others curious.
The Builder, meanwhile, brushed off their cloak, uninterested in the spectacle. They muttered quietly, as if speaking only to themselves:
"…Another one dragged in by the system. But why you?"
Then, without another word, they turned and began walking away.
"W-wait!" I called out.
The Builder paused, glancing back. Their eyes were sharp, but not unkind.
"You don't belong to the Adventurers," they said flatly. "Come find me when you're done being their pawn. The Builder Faction is waiting."
And with that, they vanished into the shadows of the city.