The road stretched long beneath the pale moonlight.
Daichi moved in silence, his cloak fluttering in the night wind. The forest whispered around him, leaves shivering as if wary of the man who now walked among them. To his side, Lilith strolled effortlessly, barefoot on the dirt road, humming a sultry tune.
"Bandits," she mused, twirling her whip of shadow between her fingers. "How boring. I almost feel bad—they'll die without even realizing whose shadow claimed them."
Her crimson eyes slid toward Daichi, gleaming with mischief. "Unless… you'd rather I take care of them quickly? We could save time, and you could spend the night with me instead."
Daichi didn't glance at her. His mask hid the cold smirk that tugged at his lips.
"…I don't need you to fight my battles."
Lilith's pout was deliberately exaggerated, her body leaning close until her chest brushed his arm. "Hmph. Always so stoic. But I like watching you kill, my king. It excites me."
He ignored the heat creeping to his ears.
[ Quest Objective: Purge the Bandit Stronghold ]
[ Reward: 20 Silver ]
[ Status: Active ]
The system's monotone voice echoed in his head.
---
The stronghold came into view past midnight: a crude fortress of logs and stone perched in a clearing, torches flickering along the wooden palisade. Laughter, drunken shouts, and the clang of tankards spilled into the night. Bandits. Loud, arrogant, careless.
Daichi crouched in the shadows of the treeline.
[ Skill Activated: Shadow Veil ]
A shroud of darkness wrapped around him, dimming his presence until even the crickets ignored him.
"Not bad," Lilith whispered approvingly, her lips nearly brushing his ear. "You're learning to move like a true predator."
Inside, thirty bandits feasted and roared with laughter. At the head table sat their leader—a hulking brute with scars across his jaw, his massive axe leaning against the chair.
Daichi's violet eyes narrowed.
Leader first.
He melted into shadow.
---
The first bandit never saw him. One moment he was guzzling ale, the next his throat was slit open, black mist devouring the scream before it escaped. The corpse slumped silently.
Another bandit stumbled out to piss near the gate. His eyes widened at the faint shimmer of purple light. Too late. A blade of shadow pierced his heart. He dropped without a sound.
One by one, the lights of the stronghold began to flicker—not from the torches, but from the life of its inhabitants being extinguished.
Inside the hall, the bandit leader frowned, scratching his beard. "Oi. Where's Korin? Bastard was supposed to bring me more ale."
Silence.
The door creaked.
The bandit leader turned. A figure stepped through, cloak billowing, mask gleaming pale in the firelight. Behind him, shadows writhed like living serpents.
"…Who the hell are you?" the leader snarled, rising to his feet.
The masked man said nothing. His blade materialized—obsidian steel forged of pure shadow.
The bandit leader laughed. "One man? You think you can—"
A whip cracked.
Lilith appeared behind Daichi, wings spread wide, her voluptuous form framed by violet fire. She licked her lips.
"…What the fuck—"
Too late.
The shadows surged.
[ Skill Activated: Shadow Execution ]
Dozens of spectral blades erupted from the ground, piercing through the tables, skewering bandits mid-laugh. Screams filled the hall as men were torn apart by the darkness itself.
The bandit leader roared, hefting his axe, charging at Ludhociel.
The masked adventurer flickered—one step, and he vanished. He reappeared behind the leader, his blade already sliding across the man's spine.
The brute howled, spinning wildly. His axe cleaved air. Daichi's sword pierced his chest.
"Wh… what are you…" the leader gasped, blood bubbling from his lips.
The mask tilted slightly.
"…Your death."
The blade tore free. The bandit leader collapsed, lifeless.
---
By dawn, silence reigned. The stronghold that once roared with laughter was now nothing but corpses and shadows.
Daichi stood amidst the carnage, his mask stained with crimson, his cloak fluttering in the cold breeze. Lilith circled him like a cat, her tongue sliding across her lips as she admired the scene.
"Mmm… marvelous. You slaughtered them beautifully, my king." She pressed against him, her breasts flattening against his arm, her voice a husky whisper. "Doesn't it feel good? Stronger than you ever were before?"
Daichi exhaled, lowering his blade. "…Yes."
Her eyes gleamed. "And aroused?"
His body stiffened. "…Shut up."
She laughed, a low, intoxicating sound, before biting his ear playfully.
---
[ Quest Complete ]
[ Reward Obtained: 20 Silver ]
[ Bonus: Guild Reputation + 30 ]
---
When Ludhociel walked back into the guild hall later that day, silence fell once more. The parchment on the Quest Board still fluttered where he had torn it free the night before.
He dropped a blood-stained sack onto the counter with a heavy thud. Heads rolled out—bandit heads, neatly severed.
Shira's eyes widened. "H-he… he actually did it."
Balgrim Ironfist's gaze sharpened, then softened with grudging respect. The dwarf stamped the completion seal with a grunt.
"Gold quest… completed."
The hall erupted with shouts of disbelief.
"Impossible!"
"No rookie could—"
"That mask… he's a monster…"
Daichi turned without a word. Lilith appeared once more at his side, wrapping herself around his arm as though flaunting him to the world.
Whispers followed them out into the street.
"Ludhociel…"
"…The Masked Adventurer."
A name was born that day—one whispered in awe, fear, and envy alike.