The shadow didn't fly. It fell.
It wasn't a creature moving through the air—it was part of the mountain deciding to move itself.
The wind screamed.
Pines snapped like twigs. Snow and rock blasted into the air, burying the valley in a white cloud.
Sai Ji stood in the yard, holding the sack of Frostfall Reds like it could protect him.
It smelled like earth and normal life.
He looked at the approaching disaster and felt his last bit of "normal quest" hope die.
"If that thing touches a potato," he said flatly, "I am complaining to the universe. I want a manager. I will escalate."
Nyx slid into a ready stance, blocking the angles around Sai Ji. "Master," he said calmly, "that is not from this altitude. Its presence… is illegal."
Aeliana's hands glowed with magic. "Archaic mana. Pre-Imperial. This isn't just S-rank. It's ancient."
Midnight Wolf clung to the farmhouse wall. "Bro… we signed up to deliver potatoes. Not survive a raid from a mountain!"
The farmer and his family stumbled out, panicked. Bram pointed at Sai Ji. "You! Save us! Save our potatoes!"
"I'm just the delivery guy!" Sai Ji said.
His protest was drowned by the impact.
The creature landed.
When the snow settled, it stood there. A bear-shaped mountain of ice and rock, bigger than the farmhouse. Six glowing blue eyes stared at him. Breath froze the air around it.
It wasn't attacking. It sniffed the sack.
Then it raised a claw—but not at him, at the potatoes.
Sai Ji panicked. He swatted the claw away with one hand while clutching the sack with the other.
BWOONG.
The claw hit nothing. A ripple of force pushed the giant backward. The creature skidded, slammed into a boulder, and split it clean in half. Silence fell.
The Behemoth looked at the trench, the broken rock… then back at Sai Ji. Slowly, it pressed its massive icy snout into the snow at his feet, bowing. A deep, purring rumble vibrated through the air.
Sai Ji took a step back. "No! I have a strict no-followers policy. I'm not adopting a mountain-sized dog!"
Nyx nodded. "It respects authority, Master. Not force. You established a boundary."
Aeliana whispered, "You… wrote a law it understood."
Sal Vera's voice was warm in his head. "A new follower pledges itself. You inspire, even by accident."
Sai Ji groaned. "I didn't ask for this. This isn't a title—it's a liability!"
Midnight Wolf, sitting on the ground, whispered in awe, "Bro… the world isn't playing the game. The game is playing around you."
Back at the Guild Hall
The walk back was silent. The Behemoth returned to the mountains, leaving broken trees behind. People followed at a cautious distance, whispering.
The guild hall felt different. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Even the clerk froze, letting a ledger fall.
Sai Ji headed straight for the quest desk, trying to keep his "mortal" disguise. But everyone's eyes lingered on him, drawn to the weight of what had happened. He went to turn in his quest, clutching his three copper coins, hoping for normalcy.
The doors slammed open. The Crimson Talon, Frostfall's famous A-rank party, entered. Their leader, Vesperion, saw Sai Ji and froze, a mix of disbelief and anger on his face.
"You," he said, pointing at the F-rank token in Sai Ji's hand. "Prove your rank. One strike. Defend yourself."
The guild hall held its breath.
Vesperion lunged, sending a spear of ice magic at Sai Ji's chest.
Sai Ji didn't move.
He looked at the spell, understood it. His presence… simply stopped it. The ice dissolved into harmless mist. Nothing remained.
Vesperion froze. "What…?"
Sai Ji held up his hands, tired. "See? Harmless."
He turned and walked to the quest desk.
Behind him, the guild watched, realizing the F-rank adventurer was no longer just a beginner. He was something else entirely.
Normal. Safe. Impossible.
And completely unreachable.