Training had ended, and Wein felt immense relief after finally being able to wake up early and no longer needing to train. He wet his hair with the freezing morning water before gazing at his handsome reflection in the mirror.
"My body looks muscular, and this was only after a year of training. Damn it, they said this would only take a month and a half."
"But it turned out to be a year and six months?" Wein grumbled, though he had already passed that phase. The happiness and everything else he gained from this stronger and more prepared body had made it all worth it.
Considering that half of CyFil had already been taken over and almost all of Dwarvest was monopolized by Vernisius, there was no turning back—and Wein would soon make his move.
"Sir!" called a servant, who often reminded him of his schedule. Wein quickly responded with a friendly shout, though a shout was still a shout. "The door isn't locked, please come in," he said.
Wein hurriedly put on a white long-sleeved shirt with a high collar before approaching the servant at the door.
"General Wein Arcveil. Uhmm…" The servant saluted and then looked back at Wein before continuing. "You've been assigned to eliminate a high-level demon inside a cave," he said firmly.
"The commander asked me to escort you to him."
⸻
"At your service, Commander!" Wein stomped the ground with his right foot, shaking the earth, and gave an exaggerated salute that made the commander laugh.
"No need to be formal with me. I'm just a former elf king and revolutionary leader who got promoted to commander," Commander Kael chuckled.
"So, what am I supposed to do?"
"Head to the cave. There's a wall nearby that hides a gold mine behind it. There are a few camps around as well, so make sure the big demon doesn't get past the wall."
"Alright, I'll take care of it. And thanks for that fun year and a half!" Wein said as he exited the room jokingly, to which Commander Kael responded with laughter.
There was a significant age gap between them—Commander Kael was over sixty years old, but considering elves lived longer, he only looked like a newly appointed grandfather.
*** Loraine Eleanoir
"You okay, Loraine?" A man with reddish-brown hair gently touched her hand, trying to look at the scars.
"Hey, Mark. Watch it, flirting with a woman like that," Claire said quickly, stepping between them. Mark, surprised, made a few excuses before the two of them started bickering.
Loraine, caught off guard, tried to stop them, but a few seconds later, things escalated. "Guys, I think the raid has started," she said with a shy smile.
"Oh, right." Claire stepped closer to Loraine and stood beside her. The three of them, wearing full combat gear, stood in the damp, dark room.
Just like any cave, in front of them stood a large wall protecting their position. As part of the raid procedure, the wall would be opened, and the assault would begin.
"Damn it, now my hair's all messed up," grumbled Mark as he walked ahead when the captain called several of their troops over.
"Let's go! The raid begins now!" shouted the division leader in charge of today's assault.
Loraine, with her rapier, ran at a steady pace. They followed behind a few strong adults, accompanied by younger trainees.
Some of the first-year Aetheris students were also present—Loraine had spoken with them a few times before becoming close with Claire and Mark.
The gate slowly opened, and a powerful aura surged out even before it was fully ajar.
"Loraine, you feel it too, right?" Claire looked toward the gate. They all prepared for the demon beasts to emerge—since in recent days, they only appeared when the gate opened.
Loraine hesitated but turned to Claire with a calming smile. "It's probably just a few demon beasts clustered together," she said with confidence.
Before long, many began to talk about their unease. The ominous aura looming over them made their skin crawl.
The gate opened completely, and they moved forward—holding their breath as the stench spread through the air. Loraine looked around.
The dark, damp cave had sharp rocks on the ceiling where bats nested. She shuddered at the sight and forced herself to focus ahead.
"I think you were right, Claire. Something's not right here." Loraine began to realize that this should have been the area where they fought demon beasts.
But this time…
"Exactly! There's not a single demon beast here," said Claire, glancing left and right, scanning the area.
"Everyone!" the division leader shouted, turning his whole body toward them. With a look of despair, he said:
"I think we need to go deeper. But remember—something's off here. No demon beasts, but an aura as powerful as Gladius. I believe we've stumbled upon a rare underground boss." He explained as confusion spread among the troops.
"So, should we keep going?" a girl asked, glancing around as others looked her way. Questions started to fly before a massive tremor silenced them.
"Let's go! We can't linger here!" shouted the division leader. With a massive axe matching his bulky frame, he strode forward, his muscles bulging with every step.
The deeper they went, the stronger the aura became—as if it could crush their bodies if they got any closer. The stench worsened, slowing their progress.
"Loraine, can you handle this smell?" Mark asked with concern. He gave her a warm smile and offered his help moments before the group halted.
The room grew more terrifying—damp, reeking of decay. They all walked deeper into the darkness. The atmosphere was suffocating, even though this was a better condition than being swarmed by demon beasts.
The stone floor became harder—different from before, which had been slightly muddy. I hadn't been paying attention until I sensed a familiar aura I hadn't felt in a year.
We all stopped, staring at a towering hill of high-level demon beasts stacked like worthless trash.
At the top of the grotesque heap sat a man. His arm rested on the hilt of an exquisite sword, the blade black as a starless night, with an ornate handle.
The blade, soaked in blood, was plunged into a vampire beneath him. His presence radiated a mana pressure that weighed down on all of us.
Everyone in the room stood frozen, jaws slack as they stared at the man. His distinct purple eyes triggered a cascade of memories within me.
"Who are you?!" shouted the division leader. The group—about thirty to forty people—stopped in their tracks, eyes watering from the unbearable stench.
"I'll ask you one more time! This is your final warning—who are you?!"
I couldn't believe it. I saw demon beasts stacked like garbage, lifeless, while this man sat calmly with two terrifying wolves at his sides.
That suffocating aura turned its gaze on me—even though I hadn't looked at his face. His eyes, purple, stared into mine before he answered with chilling calm.
"Me? I'm Wein Arcveil." He spoke—and my whole body shivered.