The city as the sun set and darkness began to fall.
Guards were gathered closely on the ramparts, waiting for morning.
Tony, a man leaning against his spear and stifling a yawn out of boredom, was no different.
“Since there are no monsters anyway, can’t we just rest?”
Tony grumbled, looking out at the darkening wilderness.
The city where he worked as a guard was small. Yet, despite its size, the fortress was solid.
Located on the outskirts of the Kalrn Empire, it bordered the Silent Mountain Range, making its defenses well-equipped.
However, unlike the sturdy fortress, there had been no threats to the city for years. Wild animals were rare, let alone monsters.
Tony yawned as if bored. He felt like he would completely doze off.
‘If I get caught again, I’m really finished.’
Didn’t he get caught dozing off just yesterday during his shift? He’d gotten away with it because it was the first time, but if he was caught again, he might face disciplinary action. Tony twitched his body, trying to wake himself up.
‘This won’t do. I need to wash my face with cold water.’
Then, he spoke to his colleague, Bill, next to him.
“Hey, Bill. Cover for me for a moment. I’m going to wash my face.”
Washing his face with cold water would surely wake him up. He asked Bill for permission, but received no response.
“Bill?”
When there was no answer, Tony asked again. Bill flinched and turned his head when Tony tapped his shoulder.
“Uh… what?”
“What’s wrong? You look so spaced out.”
As Tony spoke again, Bill pointed beyond the ramparts.
“Ah, no… I think there’s something over there…”
Tony turned his head in the direction Bill pointed. But there was nothing there. It was quiet, except for the sound of the wind blowing in the darkness.
“What is it? There’s nothing there? Were you dozing off?”
It seemed Bill was tired too. He dismissed it without much thought, losing interest.
“How anticlimactic.”
Tony chuckled emptily and gripped the spear behind him. Then, he patted Bill’s shoulder once.
“I’ll go wash my face first, so you should go wash yours later too. Don’t fall asleep.”
Tony spoke to Bill and descended the stairs of the city wall. A little while later, Tony’s steps were lighter as he finished his business.
“Phew, I feel refreshed.”
Splashing cold water on his face certainly woke him up. He figured he only had a few more hours to go before he could get some much-needed sleep. Tony started walking again. He intended to tell Bill to go wash his face too.
He climbed the stairs of the city wall again and returned to his original spot. When he returned, Bill had his head buried against the wall, fast asleep.
“Oh, he finally collapsed.”
Tony clicked his tongue, looking at Bill sleeping in an awkward position.
“Hey, Bill! Wake up!”
As he shook Bill’s shoulder to wake him, the crimson red on his fingertips made his heart stop.
“Aaah!”
Tony screamed and fell backward.
“Wh-what is this…?”
Blood was flowing from Bill’s eyes, ears, and mouth. Soon, blood spurted from his body.
“B-Bill! Dammit, what happened! Bill!”
Tony, realizing the situation, tried shaking Bill, but it was no use. No matter how much he shook him, he didn’t respond. In despair, he brought his hand to Bill’s neck.
“…No.”
He couldn’t feel a pulse. Bill was already dead. What had happened while he was briefly away? Tony’s grip on the spear tightened. Thinking back, the current situation felt very strange. The ramparts were silent.
“……”
At that moment, a woman’s scream was heard from the direction of the city behind him.
“Kyaaak! Help me!”
As soon as the scream was heard, Tony quickly turned around. Something must have happened. Tony looked down from the ramparts and saw a terrible massacre unfolding.
“What on earth… is happening…?”
The entire city had turned into a melee. The buildings were engulfed in sudden flames, and people were screaming, running around like mad. Amidst it all, monsters moved like arrows, attacking and biting people.
“It’s a monster! Aaah!”
Screams of terror, the sound of flesh being torn, the sound of bones breaking. Tony was overwhelmed by the horror and couldn’t move.
“……!”
But he quickly regained his composure and moved along the ramparts.
‘Why is it so quiet?’
He realized the reason for the strangeness. The city was in chaos, but his current location was eerily quiet. Normally, the captain of the guards would be shouting and summoning soldiers.
“…….”
And Tony’s intuition was not wrong. He heard a low growl from behind him.
Tony slowly turned around, filled with fear. And he came face to face with a giant monster.
“…….”
He was speechless. A grotesque figure combining a serpentine body with a human torso. Tony felt like his breath was caught. From the monster’s hideous mouth, a red tongue flicked out, licking Tony’s face. Though it felt unreal, what was unfolding before his eyes was undeniably reality. Only then could he discern the identity of what the monster held in its hand.
‘The captain…!’
Blood was dripping from the captain’s body. Even in this situation, the entire city was turning red.
‘N-no.’
Tony, barely regaining his senses, thrust his spear with all his might. But it was no use. The spearhead snapped upon hitting the monster’s scales. There was nothing more he could do.
“P-please, save me…”
Tony pleaded desperately, but the monster grinned sinisterly and wrapped him with its massive tail.
“Currh!”
Choking, Tony struggled in agony. He couldn’t even scream from the pain of his neck crushing. He flailed his legs in resistance, but the monster’s strength was too great. Soon, Tony’s head drooped.
“Kkueuk…”
As his eyes glazed over, tears flowed down his cheeks. The monster lifted the dying Tony and slowly opened its mouth. Its lips stretched to its ears, revealing hundreds of teeth. Tony watched the sight with a blank stare. He couldn’t resist in any way. Even though he knew he was about to be thrown into that mouth.
“Ah…”
With the sensation of his neck crushing, Tony disappeared into the monster’s mouth. The monster, with a smile on its face, looked down at the city. The city, filled with people’s screams, soon became silent. The city was enveloped in the silence of death. Only the flames danced, soaring high into the sky.
“Lady Arcanea, it’s time to depart.”
Stia, her subordinate officer, approached the monster, or rather, Arcanea, the mistress of the Lamia Dungeon.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Arcanea rose with a cruel smile. This massacre was merely a prelude to the main attack. Her true destination was elsewhere. That was the Arch Lich’s dungeon. Arcanea, leading her subordinates, slowly disappeared into the darkness. All that remained were corpses and ashes. Thus, the small, peaceful city vanished into a nightmare. Forever.
* * *
Deep in the dark night, the forest was plunged into pitch-black darkness. The sky was heavily clouded, obscuring even the starlight. Only the moonlight, occasionally peeking through the clouds, barely illuminated the forest. Within the darkness covering the forest, Arcanea’s eyes gleamed. Eyes that shone coldly and fiercely like a snake’s. The faint moonlight reflected in her eyes as she surveyed the surroundings.
As Arcanea and her subordinates moved, the rustling of fallen leaves and the swooshing of branches cut through the darkness. The surrounding ancient trees cast eerie shadows. The trees, swaying in the wind, seemed to be dancing. As Arcanea flicked her tongue, it glowed red even in the darkness.
“Hmm.”
She murmured, inhaling the scent of the forest deeply. The smell of damp, eerie earth, the smell of decaying leaves. Amidst it all, she felt a strong malice.
“I feel it. The aura of hostility.”
At Arcanea’s words, Stia’s eyes narrowed, and she immediately lunged forward. Stia’s body moved smoothly across the ground. Ruthlessly breaking through the branches that obstructed her, Stia continued forward. Then, she raised her tail and struck a tree.
“Croak!”
As the tree fell, the entity behind it also coughed up blood.
“Lady Arcanea, it’s a Goblin.”
The entity that fell with the tree was a Goblin. Arcanea smiled, looking at the fallen Goblin.
“Ho, just as the Merchant Guild said.”
She then pushed the Goblin into her mouth. She had already received a full report of the situation before coming here. She was prepared because she had been informed in advance about the presence of a Goblin horde around the Arch Lich.
“Speaking of which, it’s impressive.”
When Stia’s attack killed the Goblin a moment ago, the hostile energy felt in the surroundings disappeared. As if it had never been there in the first place. The forest returned to silence. Although the Merchant Guild had mentioned a wandering Goblin group, they didn’t seem like it to her. Looking at the Goblins’ equipment alone, they were not simply a wandering group. Furthermore, their ability to conceal their presence showed they were a unit thoroughly trained under someone’s control.
“You must be careful. According to the information provided by the Merchant Guild, besides the Arch Lich, there is one more Succubus.”
Arcanea scoffed at Stia’s words. After all, Succubi and Lamiae had many similarities. Although not as charming as a Succubus’s charm, Lamiae could also use skills similar to charm. Thanks to this, the Lamia race also possessed a trait that resisted charm. Unless the Succubus Queen appeared, a mere Succubus would not be able to stop her army. No, even if the Succubus Queen appeared, Arcanea was now a 5-star. Although it was power forcibly drawn out with the Merchant Guild’s help, she was confident that she had a good chance of winning against other 5-star beings. Wouldn’t her poison make the opponent fall first?
Arcanea gestured and led her subordinates. A moment later, a Lamia going ahead sank into the ground.
“Tsk, they’re really troublesome.”
There were stakes planted there, and the Lamia who had just fallen had met her end. It was a trap set by the Goblins earlier. Although a subordinate died, no one paid it any mind. There were many of them, and if they were going to falter over something like this, they wouldn’t have started in the first place.
Arcanea led her subordinates towards the Arch Lich’s dungeon. Soon, the appearance of a cave came into view.
“Certainly… according to the location, that’s it.”
However, Stia’s reply was hesitant. According to the map provided by the Merchant Guild, that cave was indeed the Arch Lich’s dungeon. Yet, the reason for her uncertainty was that she couldn’t feel the unique aura emanating from the dungeon. If it weren’t for the Merchant Guild’s words, she would have simply dismissed it as a cave and passed by.
“He’s truly a remarkable being.”
Arcanea marveled. Perhaps it was due to such aspects that the Merchant Guild was also keeping the Arch Lich in check. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have pushed her and openly orchestrated a war between dungeons. At first glance, she appeared to follow them like a puppet of the Merchant Guild. However, she didn’t care. Instead, she was grateful to the Merchant Guild for helping her deal with the Arch Lich directly. Arcanea snapped out of her thoughts. It was time to finish it.
“Stia.”
“Yes, Lady Arcanea.”
Stia immediately bowed her head, awaiting orders.
“I like this dungeon. It’s close to the Kingdom, so there’s plenty of food, and most importantly, it’s close to the Demonic Realm, so the air is different.”
There was a time when Arcanea envied dungeons close to the Demonic Realm. It was during a social gathering. Stia, remembering that fact, nodded.
“Don’t worry. Tonight, this dungeon will be yours, Lady Arcanea.”
Arcanea gave a sinister smile at Stia’s words.
“Let’s go in now.”
She intended to bring death to everyone here.
