The Mercenary Hub in Oakhaven was a world away from the polished marble of the Academy. It smelled of cheap ale, dried blood, and monster musk. Here, the "S-Rank" grades from the academy meant nothing; only "Core Count" and "Survival Rate" mattered.
Elian stood before the mission board, Ignis—now a charcoal-furred predator—slumbering at his feet. The fox's new appearance drew occasional glances, but in the frontier, "mutated" beasts were often seen as a sign of a desperate Master or a lucky find.
Elian bypassed the D-Rank "pest control" tasks and placed his hand on a C-Rank Subjugation: The Iron Woods Perimeter.
Objective: Harvest 20 Iron-Rank Metallic Beetle Cores.
Threat Level: Low-Bronze.
Reward: 10 Silver Credits + Keep of all excess materials.
As he walked toward the forest, the world-building of Aethelgard began to reveal itself in the geography. The "Iron Woods" weren't just a forest; they were a Mana-Seep Zone.
The Structure of AethelgardThe world was organized into Concentric Rings of Civilization:
The Sanctuary (The Inner Circle): Where the High-Rank Divine Beasts live. No monsters exist here.
The High-Kingdoms: Protected by massive mana-shields.
The Border-States (Oakhaven): Vulnerable zones where "Rifts" frequently open.
The Wilds: Uncharted territory where the "Shackles" don't apply, and beasts grow without limit.
Deep within the Iron Woods, the trees were literally reinforced with mineral deposits. Ignis trotted ahead, his glowing ribs pulsing like a heartbeat.
[System Alert: High-Density Mana Signature detected 50 meters ahead.]
[Species: Bladed Beetle (Bronze-Low)]
A beetle the size of a shield burst from the undergrowth. Its carapace was a shimmering, oily chrome, and its mandibles were serrated like saws.
"Ignis, test the new mana efficiency," Elian commanded. "Use [Fireball]!"
Ignis didn't need to plant his feet this time. Thanks to [Embers of the Phoenix], the mana gathered almost instantly. A sphere of white-orange heat hissed into existence.
BOOM.
The fireball struck the beetle's head. Usually, the metallic shell would reflect heat, but the Epic-rank passive added a "Lava-Effect" to the flame. The chrome shell didn't just break; it melted.
[Mana Consumed: 120 (Reduced from 200)]
[Passive 'Embers of the Phoenix' Triggered: Hit confirmed. Recovering 18 Mana.]
"Efficiency is up," Elian noted, carving the core out of the smoking beetle. "We can fire four, maybe five of these now before you're gassed. But we're still too slow for a swarm."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky didn't turn purple—it turned a bruised, sickly green. This was the Green Twilight, a phenomenon that had started only fifty years ago.
Elian climbed a jagged rock to survey the area. Far in the distance, past the mountains of the Wilds, a streak of light crashed from the heavens. It wasn't a meteor. It didn't burn up. It landed with a silent, vibrating thud that Elian felt in his marrow.
[System Warning: Unknown Energy Detected.]
[Scanning... Result: Error. Signature does not match Aethelgard Biological Database.]
[Temporary Designation: "Void-Parasite" Essence.]
Elian narrowed his eyes. "System, you've never seen that energy before?"
[Correct. The energy signature is 'Extraterrestrial.' It does not follow the laws of Elemental Mana. Warning: 300 meters away, a local Iron-Rank 'Rock-Rat' is being exposed to this energy.]
Elian watched through the System's vision. A simple Rock-Rat, a beast that should have been fodder, was being bathed in that green light. Its body didn't grow; it distorted. Its skin turned inside out, forming crystalline spikes, and its eyes multiplied into a dozen mindless, glowing orbs.
[Species: Twisted Rock-Rat (Evaluation: Unknown)]
[Danger Level: Fatal for Current Host.]
"The invasion," Elian whispered. He had heard rumors from the old drunkards at the guild about "Stars that Eat the Earth," but everyone dismissed them as fairy tales. This wasn't a beast from their world. This was an invasive species that ignored the Bloodline Shackles entirely.
Aethelgard wasn't just a world of Beastmasters. It was a world under siege from something beyond the stars, and the Magic Beast Cores everyone used for power might actually be the very thing these invaders were hunting.
"We need to get stronger, Ignis," Elian said, his voice cold. "The Academy's little tournaments... they're playing in a sandbox while the tide is coming in."
He tucked the 20th beetle core into his bag. He had enough to start the next fusion. He wouldn't just fuse for power anymore; he needed to fuse for evolution that could counter that green light.
As Elian retreated into the shadows, three figures in obsidian armor landed where the "Twisted Rat" had been. Hidden from the public, a group known as The Wardens monitored these Star-Fall sites.
"Another one," the lead Warden said, his voice distorted by a mask. "The frequency is increasing. If the public finds out the beasts are being 're-coded' by the Void, the kingdoms will collapse into panic."
"Sir, there's a signature here," another Warden said, pointing to the melted remains of Elian's beetle. "A Bronze-rank flame? But the heat residue is... Epic-tier? It doesn't match any registered Master in this sector."
"Track it," the leader commanded. "If a rogue has found a way to bridge the gap to Epic-rank skills this early, they're either a genius or a threat."
Elian didn't know it yet, but by optimizing Ignis, he had just stepped onto the radar of the most powerful—and dangerous—organization on the planet.