Days passed quietly before the agreed day of meeting finally arrived. The sun hung lazily above the city, and a soft breeze carried the smell of baked bread and blooming violets through the open windows of the Blue Bound's manor.

"How do you like your room?" Alyssa asked, sitting opposite Auren across a polished wooden table.

"It was nice," Auren replied, his voice calm and rested. "I've never slept that comfortably in a long time. Thank you."

He lifted his cup and took a small sip of the fragrant tea Alyssa had brought from her family estate. Its floral scent wrapped around him like a soft blanket, and for once, he allowed himself to feel at ease.

Across the table, Essel sat with her usual grace, nibbling on biscuits.

"Word about you has been spreading fast," she said with a small grin. "Even the monastery staff have heard about the new herbalist that can fight who's been shaking up the town."

Auren blinked, lowering his cup slightly. "I don't even know what I did."

"Playing humble again?" Alyssa teased, leaning forward a bit. "So, what do you usually do with your free time?"

"Nothing too exciting," he admitted. "I craft potions, practice swordsmanship, tinker with my weapons—and study magic whenever I can."

The book Queen Elarya had given him before parting in Runewood still occupied much of his time.

Within those pages were theories about mana control, spell layering, and a few strange, half-erased runic equations. He had spent the past few days studying it with total focus, no interruptions, no danger knocking on his door.

That peace, however, made his mind restless.

'Just wait, Romeov,' he thought as he set his cup down. 'Next time, I'll make you eat a planet-sized bullet.'

His last encounter with that monster still burned in his mind, and he'd replayed it countless times—his mistakes, his weaknesses, the exact second he'd been outmatched.

'Truly a monster.'

But he also knew Romeov hadn't even shown his full strength yet.

'I can't keep relying on Bigbird's power forever. I need strength that's mine alone,' he reminded himself. Artifacts, ancient treasures, enhancement runes—he needed all of them. Anything that could push him closer to the level where no one could discard him again.

And joining this adventurer group and dungeon hunting might prove useful someday for him.

The door suddenly burst open with a loud creak, followed by the clumsy sound of boots scraping across the floorboards.

"Early as always, Blas," Alyssa said flatly, raising a brow as the man stumbled inside.

Blas looked like a storm had thrown him around. His hair was wild, his clothes half-tucked, and his eyes were red-rimmed from sleeplessness—or perhaps too much drink.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped. "Something very important came up!"

"Something important at the bar, maybe?" Alyssa asked, lips twitching.

Blas froze, then chuckled nervously. "No, no! I swear! I just—uh—overslept! But I promise, it won't happen again. Hehe."

Alyssa set her fork down and crossed her arms.

"No matter. You're still getting a ten percent pay cut."

"Wha—!? Ten percent? Leader, that's too much! Please, have mercy! I still have children and wives to feed!" He clasped his hands together dramatically, earning a few amused glances from nearby tables.

"Then start disciplining yourself," Alyssa said sharply. "Cut the gambling and bar hopping. I won't repeat this every week. You're ruining the image of our team."

Blas's grin faltered. "I—uh—yes, ma'am."

"And next time you come late and drunk," she added, her eyes narrowing, "you won't even step inside the guild's gate. That'll be your last day as one of us."

The air tensed around the table.

Blas looked down, shame washing over his face.

"You're right. I've been an idiot. It won't happen again."

Essel smiled gently, raising her staff. "Then let's start by clearing your head."

She whispered a spell, and a faint glow enveloped Blas. The stench of alcohol faded, his face brightened, and his shoulders loosened.

He sighed in relief. "Ah! Essel, you really are an angel!"

"You're welcome!" she replied with her usual innocence.

Blas, feeling rejuvenated, sat down beside Auren and immediately began devouring his food.

He chewed noisily, stuffing his mouth like a starving ox. "Ooh, I really love the food here!" he said between bites, his voice muffled.

Auren chuckled softly, and Alyssa rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," she said, shifting the topic, "I met with Guild Master Marjun this morning. He's got a special quest for us. But's up to us which one we would choose. But he prefers our team to clear all of them. The only question is which one should we prioritize."

She waved with her hand and took out from her storage ring the quest materials. Then she carefully unfolded three parchment scrolls, placing them on the table.

The guild's crimson insignia glowed faintly on each one.

That alone was enough to pull Blas out of his food trance. He leaned over, crumbs falling from his chin as Auren and Essel joined him to read.

Auren scanned the pages quickly, his expression tightening.

'A Night Crawler subjugation, only a few hours from town. Then a new dungeon discovery in the Kugaw Wasteland—two weeks minimum. Lastly, a caravan escort to the Phili Kingdom, also two weeks long. All marked B-class.'

He frowned. 'They look manageable, but for the guild to classify them that high… it means other teams failed. Or worse, disappeared.'

The flicker of candlelight danced over their table as Auren leaned forward, studying the parchment sprawled between empty plates and half-finished mugs.

"Have you decided which one to take?" he asked, glancing at Alyssa.

"Which one do you think is easiest?" she replied, crossing her legs with practiced calm, her curious eyes locking onto his.

"Personally," Auren said, "the Night Stalker subjugation seems the simplest. I've got something that'll help us wipe them out easily, just like we did with the orcs."

He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small purple pill, faint wisps of mana vapor curling around his fingers like smoke.

Alyssa's lips curved into a teasing smile. "Sounds tempting. But if it's labeled B-rank, it's not that simple."

Her voice had shifted—lower, colder. The playful glint vanished, replaced by a measured seriousness.

Essel's smile faded as she glanced up from her tea. Even Blas, who had been chewing noisily, froze mid-bite.

"The guild master gave me more details," Alyssa said. "Apparently, that particular area might be home to an Alpha Night Stalker."

The words struck the table like a thunderclap.

Blas swallowed hard, color draining from his face. "An… Alpha?"

Essel's hand trembled slightly as she gripped her cup, her eyes darting to the parchment. "Those things can tear through a company of knights… You're not serious?"

"I am," Alyssa said, her tone firm and unflinching.

"The reports show heavy claw marks, missing caravans, and mutilated corpses. The local guards won't even patrol near the ridge anymore. That's why the quest is still open."

The air thickened with silence. Even the chatter from nearby tables seemed to fade beneath the weight of her words.

For most adventurers, a single Night Stalker was enough to call for backup, maybe even a full squad. But an Alpha? That was no simple beast. It was a nightmare wrapped in fur and shadow—a monster that hunted everything else in the dark.

Yet Auren didn't flinch.

He sat quietly, eyes distant for a moment, remembering another night.

The forest of Runewood had been alive with howls then—each echo slicing through the mist like music from the abyss. His breath had turned white from fear, his heart hammering as he faced one of their kind under the moonlight.

That beast had been faster, stronger, its movements guided by instinct sharpened by mana-rich air.

And still, he'd lived.

He leaned back now, letting a faint grin tug at the corner of his mouth.

"It's just a Night Stalker. Don't worry. I've handled them before. With Alpha, we can trap it easily."

Blas nearly choked. "Handled them? Trap an Alpha?! Are you insane? That's not some oversized cat—it's death with claws!"

Auren's grin widened. "Want proof?"

He reached into his satchel again, the soft clink of metal filling the tense silence. When his hand emerged, he set something heavy onto the wooden table.

The thud made everyone flinch.

It was a curved fang, gleaming white under the light, faintly humming with residual mana. Its surface was smooth yet scarred, like polished ivory marked by battle. The fang was as long as a man's forearm, jagged at the root where it had been ripped free.

No one spoke.

Even the faint creak of chairs and the hiss of the fireplace seemed to hush in respect—or fear.

Blas blinked, his mouth hanging open. "What the hell…"

Essel leaned forward, her breath catching. "Wait, that can't be…"

Her voice broke slightly, eyes tracing the grooves etched into the relic. She could feel the lingering aura of a predator that had once prowled the shadows.

Alyssa, however, didn't speak. She reached out, her gloved fingers brushing the fang with cautious reverence.

Up close, she could see faint rune-like cracks running along its length—ancient veins that once carried mana through the creature's body. It wasn't just a trophy. It was proof of survival.

She exhaled slowly, her eyes flickering to Auren. "This… isn't ordinary."

Her tone softened, a hint of respect threading through her words.

"That's definitely from an Alpha."

And for the first time that evening, no one doubted him.

"And also, I have a suggestion." Auren now got all of their attention. He paused for a moment and said,

"How about we do all of these quests in one go?"

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