[ADVENTURER'S GUILD - ATHER CITY, THE NEXT DAY]
TING! TING!
The Adventurer's Guild door opened with enthusiasm. Ren Yue stepped inside with light steps, still feeling the euphoria from yesterday's successful quest. Her black hat with red ribbon was neatly positioned, and her bright orange eyes sparkled with full enthusiasm.
"Sis! I want to take another quest!" Ren exclaimed while running toward the reception desk.
The elf receptionist who was already familiar with her smiled widely. "Wow, Ren! Congratulations, I heard you successfully completed the Whispering Shadows quest perfectly!"
"Hehe, thanks!" Ren smiled proudly while placing both hands on the desk. "That's why I want an even more challenging quest!"
"Hmm..." the elf receptionist took a card from a special pile. "There happens to be a good quest available. But the location is quite far..."
Ren took the card with sparkling eyes. "Where?"
"Zaruneth City. There are reports of strange monsters attacking merchant caravans around the oasis."
"Zaruneth!" Ren's eyes sparkled even brighter. "That desert city, right? So exciting! I've never been there!"
"But be careful, Ren. Zaruneth is far, and the journey is quite dangerous."
"Don't worry!" Ren tucked the quest card into her pouch while waving. "I'm already rank C now!"
TING! TING!
Ren left the Adventurer's Guild building with high spirits, already imagining the exciting adventure awaiting her in the desert city.
But as soon as her feet touched the stone road...
SHRIIIEEEKKKK!!!
A terrifying scream split the sky!
WHOOOOSH!!!
Large shadows swooped over Ather city. One, two, three... dozens of Wyverns with large dark green wings and glowing red eyes flew circling the city.
"Wyverns?!" Ren jumped back while taking a fighting stance. "Why are they attacking the city?!"
CRASH!
One of the Wyverns dove and destroyed a shop's roof. Panic broke out everywhere, residents screaming and running for shelter.
"This can't be allowed!" Ren quickly cast a spell. "Yuelin Technique—"
ROOOOAAARRR!!!
A large Wyvern dove straight toward her!
---
[ELSEWHERE - ATHER CITY]
SNAP!
WHOOSH!!!
Kai appeared atop the central clock tower of Ather city. His bluish-gray eyes calmly observed the chaos unfolding below.
"Wyvern attack..." he muttered while walking casually at the tower's edge, as if unconcerned about the threatening danger. "Interesting."
However, his attention was diverted when he saw someone in the crowd moving in a... different way.
Among the panicking residents running around, a small girl with a black hat was actually advancing against the Wyvern diving toward her. Her fighting movements were agile, and...
FWOOOOSHHHH!!!
A spiral-shaped fire shot from her mouth!
"Yuelin Technique..." Kai muttered with interest. His gray-blue eyes observed carefully. "She's fighting level 40 Wyverns with... great ease."
The desire to see closer began growing in Kai's mind. It had been a long time since he'd seen such interesting fighting techniques.
SNAP!
Kai snapped his fingers to teleport to a closer location, but...
CRASH!!!
"Kyaa!"
As soon as Kai appeared, someone immediately crashed into him hard! Both fell to the ground in an awkward position—Kai lying flat with someone on top of him.
"Ow ow ow..." a girl's voice grumbled from atop Kai's chest.
Kai opened his eyes and saw a pair of bright orange eyes staring at him from very close range. The face of the small girl with black hat and red ribbon turned red from embarrassment and panic.
"Sorry," Kai said in his usual flat tone, despite the somewhat awkward situation.
"No, I'm sorry!" Ren immediately got up and backed away while bowing repeatedly. Her face was still red. "I wasn't watching where I was going, so sorry!"
Kai rose calmly while brushing dust from his hoodie. "It's fine."
"Who are you?!" Ren suddenly became serious while pointing at Kai. "Go evacuate! It's dangerous here!"
Kai glanced briefly at the Wyverns still flying and attacking. "Pretty exciting."
"Ehh?" Ren made a cute confused expression, her head tilted with wide eyes. "Exciting what?! Those are dangerous monsters!"
"What's your name?" Kai asked, ignoring Ren's comment about the danger.
"I'm Ren Yue!" Ren answered automatically before realizing. "Eh, wait! Why am I answering? Who are you first!"
"From Yuelin city?" Kai asked again with curious tone.
Ren's orange eyes widened. "Yes! How did you know?!"
"Of course..." Kai muttered inwardly while looking at Ren's face. "People there all have Chinese-sounding names..."
SHRIIIEEEKKKK!!!
Suddenly one of the Wyverns that was fighting with other adventurers lost control and dove straight toward them!
"Danger!" Ren couldn't dodge in time because she was still shocked by this strange conversation.
But Kai... just stood quietly with both hands in his hoodie pockets. His facial expression was calm, as if he already knew what would happen next.
WHOOOOSH!!!
The Wyvern drew closer, its sharp claws ready to tear them apart!
And then...
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!
TREMENDOUS EXPLOSION!
The Wyvern suddenly exploded in mid-air! Fire fragments and smoke filled the sky, and when everything settled...
Standing elegantly in the middle of the smoke cloud was a tall man with golden-brown skin that gleamed under the sunlight. His pale blonde hair fluttered in the wind, and his blue-green eyes were as sharp as an oasis in the desert. He wore flowing white cloth like silk, a necklace studded with glittering blue gems, and a red-brown patterned shawl wrapped around his shoulders. From his upright posture and authoritative gaze, it was clear he was accustomed to leadership.
"Are you both alright?" he asked in an elegant tone with a deep yet gentle voice.
Ren gaped with her mouth wide open. "Y-Yes... D-Don't tell me you're... Azariel al-Khayran?!"
The man smiled thinly. "Yes."
"EHHHHH?!" Ren screamed in shock until she almost fell again.
---
[CHARACTER PROFILE]
Azariel al-Khayran, a 25-year-old man from Zaruneth City—the fifth among the eight great cities. Zaruneth is famous as a vast desert city filled with golden palaces and bustling spice markets. What makes Azariel special is his contract with Ifrit, one of the strongest fire Djinn that ever existed. And he is the Leader of Zaruneth city.
The people of Zaruneth have a unique ability called Magic Dance—dances that can channel two types of magic simultaneously or simply performances for festivals. Their main magic is sand and fire manipulation. Azariel himself is known as one of the strongest magic dancers of his generation.
---
"Why is Azariel al-Khayran here?!" Ren still couldn't believe it. "Aren't you rarely out of Zaruneth?!"
"Important business," Azariel answered while glancing at the other Wyverns still flying. "And it seems I arrived at the right time."
Meanwhile, Kai observed Azariel with slightly interested eyes. "Zaruneth, huh..." he thought. "That city used to be very small and poor. I wonder how it looks now."
Before anyone could respond further, more Wyverns began circling overhead, their screeches echoing through the city streets.
"We need to clear these out quickly," Azariel said while beginning to take a dancing stance. His movements were fluid and precise, like a performer preparing for an elegant show.
"Wait," Ren interrupted, "I can help! I'm a rank C adventurer!"
Azariel paused, looking at the enthusiastic girl with amusement. "Very well. But stay behind me—"
ROOOOAAARRR!!!
Three Wyverns dove simultaneously from different directions!
Azariel's eyes sharpened. His body began moving in a complex dance pattern, his hands weaving through the air as magical energy gathered around him.
"Desert Storm Dance - First Movement!"
WHOOOOSH!!!
Sand began swirling around Azariel, forming protective barriers while fire danced between his fingertips. The combination was mesmerizing—like watching art and warfare merge into one.
FWOOOM! FWOOOM!
Two fireballs shot from his palms, striking two of the diving Wyverns and sending them crashing into nearby buildings.
But the third Wyvern was too close—
"Fire Spiral!" Ren jumped forward, exhaling a spinning torrent of orange flames that caught the third Wyvern square in the chest.
CRASH!
The beast fell heavily to the street, smoke rising from its singed scales.
"Not bad," Azariel nodded approvingly at Ren. "Your technique is quite refined for someone so young."
"Hehe, thanks!" Ren beamed with pride.
But their celebration was short-lived as more shrieks filled the air. At least a dozen Wyverns were still circling above, and now they seemed angry at the loss of their companions.
"This could take a while," Azariel muttered, preparing for another dance sequence.
"Hey," Kai called out casually. "Can you help me get to Zaruneth city? I forgot where it's located."
Azariel turned with a slightly surprised look. It was rare for someone to speak to him so casually.
"That can be arranged," he answered after a moment. "However, we need to deal with these Wyverns first before—"
"I want to come too!" Ren interrupted enthusiastically. "I have a quest there anyway!"
"Very well," Azariel nodded while beginning to take his dance stance again. "Let's finish off the remaining Wyverns first—"
And suddenly...
WOOOOOSSSHHHHH!!!
A terrifying aura appeared out of nowhere. The aura was invisible but could be felt by anyone—like tremendous pressure that made breathing difficult and knees tremble. Even the strong Azariel suddenly felt his body stiffen.
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees, and an oppressive silence fell over the battlefield. Both Ren and Azariel felt an instinctive fear creep up their spines, though neither could identify its source.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
One by one, all the Wyverns flying in the sky suddenly fell unconscious. They dropped like autumn leaves, creating echoing impact sounds throughout the city.
Total silence.
"W-What happened...?" Azariel muttered in disbelief, his eyes staring at the suddenly empty sky.
Ren also gaped, not understanding what had just occurred.
Only Kai stood calmly, both hands still in his hoodie pockets, as if nothing had happened.
"That power... it felt ancient, overwhelming. Like standing before a force of nature itself. But who...?" Azariel's mind raced as he looked around for the source.
The fallen Wyverns lay scattered across the city streets, breathing but completely unconscious. Not dead—just deeply asleep, as if someone had cast an incredibly powerful sleep spell over the entire flock simultaneously.
"Now then," Kai said in his usual flat tone. "Shall we head to Zaruneth city?"
Azariel and Ren exchanged glances with expressions of confusion and slight fear. Who exactly was this silver-haired teenager?
As they stood in the eerily quiet aftermath, with unconscious Wyverns scattered around them like fallen giants, one question burned in both their minds: had this mysterious boy just single-handedly ended a citywide monster attack without even moving?
[TO BE CONTINUED...]