No… what's going on?
Raijin's fingers sank into the dirt.
His breathing was becoming faster. A burning sensation spread through his chest with each breath.
He tried to raise his head.
There was only mist before him...
Shattered ground...
And the smell of blood.
"This... How did this happen...?"
Just a few minutes ago, everything was fine.
At least, that's what he thought.
But now—
Sofia was lying there, badly injured. Ishan and Kade weren't much better. Destruction was spread all around, as if this battle had begun not just a moment ago, but long ago.
Ever since I arrived in Eldhavn City, strange things have been happening to me.
More than half my memory has disappeared.
Meeting myself in dreams.
And those words from Master Zenn…
No.
He stops himself mid-sentence, interrupting himself.
Now he feels those words aren't useless.
At least, not completely.
Boom—!
The ground shook.
Raijin jumped to the side like lightning. This time he escaped. What would happen next time was beyond predicting.
Master Zenn had said this monster would be A-Rank.
But what was in front of me…
It seemed far superior.
It was probably foolish to even think about it.
Because nothing had gone right for me these past few weeks.
Except for meeting Sofiya and her team.
But where did all this start?
A few days ago
Emi came down the stairs and stood right next to me.
There was a lot of activity around.
There were several tables and chairs in front of the counter, and in one corner were several boards with B-Rank, C-Rank, D-Rank, and E-Rank written on them.
There was a separate board for each rank,
and anyone was strictly forbidden from taking a mission of a higher rank. If anyone ignored this rule and took a mission of a higher rank, they would be fined 500 gold coins and possibly even have their Adventure Card suspended.
Amidst all this, Emi's voice rang directly in Raijin's ears, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Mr. Raijin, here is the complete information about Grim Howler Wraiths. Please read it carefully."
"Okay,"
I said, taking the papers in my hand.
As Raijin's eyes fell on the pages, a familiar voice was heard from behind.
"Raijin!"
Raijin looked back.
"Sofiya? How are you here?"
She quickly came towards me.
"I've been invited here too," she said.
"Who?" I asked.
"Guild Master."
Hmm... Hmm...
Just then, Emi began speaking, drawing everyone's attention.
"Mr. Raijin, Miss Sofiya, I'll explain everything to you right now."
Sofiya looked to her right—
and froze when she saw Emi.
She hadn't noticed Emi until now.
She spoke softly in a shaky voice, "I haven't seen Miss Emi before...
How did such a big mistake happen?
Should I apologize? No..."
She interrupted herself—lest they think I deliberately ignored her.
Her confusion was evident on her face.
"Miss Sofiya?"
Emi's voice came.
"Are you okay? You've been mumbling something for quite some time."
"No, no," Sofia quickly composed herself.
"I was just wondering why the Guild Master called us here. You were telling us, weren't you?"
Emi said with a slight smile, "I'm sorry. I was a little worried seeing your condition. If you hadn't been feeling well, this mission would probably have stopped here."
"A mission?"
Sofiya was taken aback.
"And what does that have to do with my health?"
"It has everything to do with it," Emi said in a calm voice.
"You and your team are to head to the cemetery located to the west, alongside Mr. Raijin.
To hunt down Grim Howler Wraiths."
"What?"
Sofiya's eyes widened.
"That's an A-Rank task! And our team is only C-Rank!"
Raijin immediately cut in.
"Miss Emi, wait. The Master didn't tell me anything about this.
How did this come up so suddenly—?"
"Let me explain everything,"
Emi interjected, taking control of the conversation.
"Mr. Raijin is a B-Rank Adventurer.
Miss Sofiya's team is C-Rank.
Together, the two of you can undertake this mission."
Emi looked toward Raijin.
"You could have handled this mission alone. However, the Guild Master decided to send her team along as backup."
Sofiya was in shock.
A team that had never even attempted a mission anywhere near B-Rank was suddenly being entrusted with such a massive undertaking.
Raijin thought to himself—
If I go with them,
I'll have plenty of opportunities to conduct my investigation.
Grim Howler Wraiths…
And if the opportunity arises,
I might even be able to take a look at the Lord's fortress.
"So?"
Emi asked.
"Will you accept this mission, Mr. Raijin?"
"Yes," Raijin replied without hesitation.
"I have no objections.
If they would prefer not to come—"
"No."
Sofiya shot a sharp glance at Raijin, then turned toward Emi and spoke.
"I'm ready."
Raijin looked into her eyes.
Fear was there.
Plainly visible… not hidden at all.
But there was something else there, too—something even stronger than that fear.
Determination.
As if she had already made up her mind that, come what may…
she would not back down. A faint smile appeared on Raijin's face.
"Aren't you scared?" he asked.
Sofiya answered without a second thought.
"I am."
Then, she smiled slightly.
"But if we keep backing down every time out of fear...
then becoming an Adventurer would be meaningless."
Emi nodded.
"Very well. You will receive all the necessary information from Mr. Raijin."
"Now, please excuse me. I have other work to attend to."
Saying this, she took her leave.
Silence hung in the air for a few moments.
Then, Sofiya looked at Raijin.
"So... what should we do next?"
Raijin remained silent for a moment.
Then, he spoke softly—
"First of all... we need to gather the rest of the team."
Sofiya nodded.
But Raijin's gaze was fixed elsewhere.
That same name kept echoing in his mind.
Grim Howler Wraith
.
.
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Thank You For Reading This Chaptar.
Author: Mohammed Zaid Saifi