"Hehe~ to think a king this utterly foolish actually rules somewhere in this world~." Shizuku's melodic laughter broke the silence of the lavish room, her voice echoing softly over the blood-red velvet carpet.A sweet smile graced her delicate lips, yet her tone carried an absolute, freezing chill. The air itself seemed to slowly crystallize, exuding a silent, suffocating threat that would choke anyone standing near her.Not far away, Evelyn stood frozen, swallowing hard. "..." The golden-eyed girl parted her lips slightly, desperate to say something, anything, to thaw the tension.But the magical pressure within the spacious room was sheer agony. Merely remaining on her feet under the combined weight of two EX-class individuals was pushing her trembling body to its absolute limit. Her lungs burned, as if she were being forced to inhale thousands of invisible needles."I really just want to fly over there right this second," Agnes murmured, her voice dropping to a lethally low registe

Krai let out a low groan. His eyelids, heavy with sleep, fluttered open to greet the late afternoon sun bleeding through the gaps in the bedroom curtains.His peaceful nap hadn't been violently interrupted by physical noise, but by a suffocating surge of magical energy rippling through the air. It was a massive anomaly, radiating directly from the heart of the elven estate.He pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the dull throb pulsing behind his eyes. 'A magical presence this strong... whose power is that? It's way too much for an average elf,' he thought, struggling to gather his scattered senses."Shizuku," Krai called out, his voice hoarse, his throat parched.The air beside the bed instantly distorted. Without a second's delay, Shizuku stood gracefully at his bedside, looking as if she had been eternally carved into that very spot without ever moving an inch."Yes, Master?" she replied, her voice soft as silk. Her hands rested politely over her crisp white apron, radiating an

*Slash!*A geyser of high-pressure blood erupted from the severed neck, drenching Stromveil's white stone floor like a deep crimson fountain.The stout man’s head tumbled down, landing with a heavy thud before rolling slowly to a stop against the tip of his comrade’s boot.All the color drained from the faces of the remaining Barbar Kingdom envoys in an instant. Their mouths hung agape, their vocal cords completely paralyzed as they witnessed the gruesome end of their comrade in a matter of seconds.The silence didn't last. From atop the walls, from behind the stone pillars, and out of the tree shadows, dozens of figures descended.Their dark green cloaks billowed briefly before they touched the ground in near-absolute silence. Jagged arrowheads and the tips of drawn blades now tightly boxed in the surviving envoys. The air grew incredibly heavy, thick with the suffocating, murderous aura of the elite elven warriors."What the hell is this?!" one of the envoys shrieked, his voice crac

The air inside the Barbar Kingdom's throne room was heavy, reeking of rusted iron. At the far end of the hall, flanked by towering black stone pillars, King Barbor slouched against his throne. His face was as impassive as carved stone, his eyes staring downward without a single spark of human warmth.At the foot of the dais, a soldier lay sprawled across the red carpet. Both of his legs had been crushed. His breaths came in desperate, ragged wheezes as his fingers clawed at the carpet's threads in a futile attempt to anchor himself against the agonizing pain."You..." King Barbor's voice echoed slowly, bouncing off the cold stone walls. "...dare to return in such a state?"The soldier looked up, his face deathly pale and slick with cold sweat. "Your Majesty... I—""Enough."The single, barked word choked the soldier into silence. King Barbor didn't shift his posture. He merely rolled his eyes slowly toward the right side of the room, fixing a piercing gaze on the court mage standing w

A deafening rumble tore through the tranquility of the Thousand Monster Forest. The ground quaked violently beneath the march of a hundred thousand steel-clad boots.The Barbor Kingdom's army moved like a colossal iron dragon, crawling forward with slow, inevitable dread. The stench of stale sweat, rust, and thick, suffocating bloodlust poisoned the forest's pristine air.Barely a few kilometers past the treeline, they had already lost two hundred soldiers to a barrage of vicious monster attacks.Yet, the massive formation's advance didn't slow in the slightest. If anything, the tempo of their march only grew faster and more aggressive by the minute.Heavily armed soldiers weren't the only terror they brought with them. Giant beasts had been forced to march at the vanguard and along the flanks.Hundreds of Rank C monsters snarled wildly. Dozens of Rank B monsters dripped venomous saliva onto the soil. And over a dozen Rank A monsters trudged forward with terrifying, hollow gazes.Fast