“Monster!!”The scream tore through the ruins like thunder, it wasn’t a warning or anything but it was pure, spine-shattering panic.Abigail didn’t look back. She didn’t need to. When Jian Tao ran, when that single word left his mouth, she knew it was serious. And judging from the blood-curdling screams echoing behind them, that was the understatement of the century.The air filled with chaos. Wei’s group, once so full of arrogant swagger, came sprinting out of the fog like their lives depended on it. Which, apparently, they did. Their faces were pale, eyes wide, robes soaked in blood, and dignity completely abandoned somewhere behind them.“RUN!!!” one of them howled, waving his arms like a man possessed. “THAT THING IS BEHIND US!”Rina shrieked when she saw them, nearly tripping over her own feet. “What the hell...why are they running like that?!”Luna’s eyes went wide. “Wait, weren’t they the brave ones?”Selene shouted between gasps as she ran madly, “I...I think bravery expired h

Everyone was staring at Wei now, the silence stretched long enough for even the wind to grow awkward. But Wei, ever the proud bastard, just turned his face aside, pretending to inspect his sleeve like the whole plan hadn’t come out of his mouth.Abigail laughed, low and amused. “Oh, so now you’ve gone blind and deaf, huh?” she said with a teasing smirk. “Alright then, since everyone’s agreed we’re doing this, let’s make sure the plan doesn’t end up killing more idiots than monsters.”She stood up, brushing off the dust from her robe. “We’ll split into two groups. The first will go in and bait that thing out just enough to piss it off and then the second group will strike once it’s distracted. Clean and simple.”The disciples nodded slowly, though a few shifted uneasily. “Clean and simple,” in a secret realm usually translated to bloody and painful.Jian Tao, who had been quietly leaning against a tree, raised his gaze toward the dark ruins. His eyes glinted faintly under the moonlight

The glimmer of treasures still shimmered faintly across the walls when Jian suddenly froze. His expression changed from calm to sharp in an instant.“F-fast,” he muttered under his breath, scanning the glowing shelves. “We h-have to be fast.”Abigail turned toward him, startled by the sudden tension in his voice. “Fast? What do you mean?”Jian didn’t even look at her, his gaze darted to the entrance, his tone grave. “Th-the monster’s c-coming.”That was all it took, every single person in the room stiffened.Luna swallowed hard. “Wait… the what?”“The m-monster,” Jian repeated, his stammer thick but his words clear. “A-according to th-the r-rules of this p-place, you’re n-not supposed to get in w-without f-fighting it. It’s th-the g-guardian of this vault.”Selene’s brows furrowed. “But we didn’t fight anything...”“That’s the problem,” Jian cut in, his tone suddenly firm. “It’s n-night. The c-creature’s w-weaker and wanders off during th-this hour. Th-that’s how we g-got in. But it’l

The air split like a blade as Jian’s punch landed, the sound so sharp it felt like thunder striking the earth. The impact cracked through the monster’s torso and black lines webbing across its body and for one glorious second, everyone thought that was it.But then the cracks glowed faintly red… and sealed themselves shut.“Oh, come on,” Abigail hissed under her breath, already springing forward.Her blade sang through the air, a sharp whistle slicing into the creature’s chest with a flash of heat. Sparks erupted on contact, the armor-like hide screeching in protest. Behind her, Selene, Luna, and Rina stepped into action with the synchronization of seasoned predators.Selene went first, her eyes glowing faint silver as she whispered an incantation, a shimmering veil of moonlight forming around her hands. She flicked her wrist, sending a wave of hypnotic light straight at the creature’s eyes. The beast paused, stumbling slightly, its vision blurring as if it had fallen under a trance.

Kai sneezed so loud that a few nearby birds took off like arrows. He blinked groggily, sitting up under the tree he had collapsed beneath. For a moment, he just stared into the darkness, brain still half-asleep but then realization hit him.“Ah, for fuck’s sake,” he grumbled, rubbing his nose. “Who the hell sneezes themselves awake?!”He groaned dramatically and flopped back down, one hand over his face. “I was having a damn good dream too. There were golden clouds, spirit wine, and a woman feeding me grapes… now look at me, lying on the forest floor like a broke vagabond.”The night air was cool and sharp, the kind that made every sound echo. A few fireflies blinked lazily around him, and somewhere in the distance, an animal growled. Kai stretched lazily, arms cracking loudly, and yawned so wide it could’ve swallowed the moon.“Well, no point crying about it,” he muttered. “Back to the grand life of walking aimlessly in an unknown wilderness.”He stood, brushing leaves off his robe,