---
The forest was still.
Not silent—never silent—but still in that unnatural way that meant something was watching. Trees loomed like sentinels in the moonlight, their branches skeletal arms clawing at the sky. Somewhere, far off, a night bird let out a single note... and then nothing.
[System Notification]
You have entered: The Withered Thicket (Corrupted Zone – Level 30+)
Warning: Area is under the influence of a World Anomaly.
Kael crouched beneath the twisted roots of an uprooted tree, his breath slow and measured. His eyes flicked toward the distant glow—green and pulsing like a heartbeat. The anomaly's center. That was his target.
Behind him, the rest of the team moved in calculated silence.
> [Party Status – Whisper Channel Active]
Lyria (Lv. 28 Shadowmancer): "Still no movement. You sure it's not bait?"
Thorne (Lv. 31 Warden): "Everything here is bait."
Kael (Lv. 30 Arcane Hunter): "Doesn't matter. We need that fragment."
The artifact at the anomaly's heart wasn't just any fragment—it was a Shard of Origin. And the Guild would kill to get it first.
Kael double-checked his quiver. Voidglass-tipped arrows: effective against phased spirits and ethereal corruption. He strung his bow and nodded once. Time to move.
---
Five Minutes Later – Edge of the Glade
The clearing shimmered with an otherworldly haze. At the center hovered a jagged crystal, pulsing with light that seemed to warp the air around it. Shadows twisted unnaturally at its base, and a figure stood before it—tall, robed, and still.
"Is that—" Lyria whispered.
"Yes," Kael said grimly. "A Keeper."
The figure turned. Its eyes—if it had eyes—burned with violet fire. A voice echoed directly into their minds, metallic and cold.
"You seek the Shard. You are unworthy."
> [Boss Encounter: Keeper of the Thicket – Lv. 35 Worldbound Guardian]
Objective Updated: Defeat the Keeper and claim the Shard of Origin.
Failure Condition: Party Wipe or Fragment Corruption.
"Positions," Kael growled, not waiting for a reply. He moved first, loosing an arrow that split the air with a shriek of magic.
The Keeper raised a clawed hand, catching it mid-air. The arrow dissolved in a burst of static.
"Impressive. But insufficient."
The forest exploded into chaos.
Vines lashed from the earth, shadow beasts poured from the corrupted trees, and a wall of thorns rose behind them, cutting off escape.
---
[Combat Phase Initiated]
Combat Log Enabled – Tracking All Major Events.
Kael rolled beneath a snapping vine and launched two more arrows in quick succession. One struck true, embedding in the Keeper's shoulder. Light burst from the impact like a nova, staggering the creature.
Critical Hit!
—487 HP (Voidglass Effect Applied)
Lyria's voice echoed across the field. "Cover me!"
Dark sigils bloomed beneath her as she summoned a spectral maw from the shadows. It lunged at the Keeper, biting deep into its leg and anchoring it in place.
> [Status Effect Applied: Shadow Grasp – Movement -60%]
Thorne surged forward, shield glowing with golden runes. "FORGE BREAKER!"
With a roar, he slammed his shield into the Keeper's chest, sending a ripple of force that cracked the air itself.
Staggered! – Opening Created!
Kael didn't hesitate.
He drew one of his three Black Arrows, each carved with a sliver of soulsteel.
"Let's see if this makes you bleed," he whispered, and fired.
The arrow flew straight into the Keeper's exposed core.
> [Ability Triggered: Black Arrow – Soulrend Strike]
True Damage Ignoring Defense: 850
Status Inflicted: Soul Fracture
The Keeper screamed—an earsplitting psychic wail—and staggered back, its form flickering. The Shard behind it pulsed erratically.
Then—silence.
The Keeper dropped to one knee.
"You… are not... yet ready… but you will be…"
It exploded into a storm of violet shards.
---
[Boss Defeated: Keeper of the Thicket]
Rewards Received:
• 22,000 EXP
• Shard of Origin (1/7)
• Keeper's Sigil (Legendary Crafting Item)
• Memory Echo: "Whispers from Before" (???)
Kael stepped forward as the shard floated gently into his hand. The moment his fingers touched it, something surged through him. Not just power—but knowledge.
Visions. A tower of stars. A voice calling his name from a throne of mirrors.
And a warning.
> [New Quest Unlocked: The Architect's Game]
Unravel the true origin of the Shards. The first move has been made.
Kael t
urned to his team, the glade slowly returning to normal.
"This just got bigger than any of us thought."
---
End of Chapter 11