"What can an Adaptive Class truly do?"
The tremor lasted only a few seconds.
Yet those few seconds were enough to silence everyone.
The corrupted army stopped moving.
Traka remained standing exactly where he was, his faint smile never leaving his face.
Even Adri's composed expression stiffened.
She slowly lowered her gaze.
"...No."
Her voice was barely audible.
"It can't be..."
The vibration came again.
This time weaker.
But different.
It wasn't the march of an army.
Nor the footsteps of a beast.
It felt...
Like a heartbeat.
A slow...
Ancient...
Heartbeat.
Thump...
The ground beneath the sanctuary answered.
Thump...
The nearby well rippled without anyone touching it.
Leaves hanging from the enormous tree gently swayed despite the complete absence of wind.
Even the barrier shimmered strangely, as though responding to the unseen pulse rising from beneath the earth.
Limbo frowned.
"What..."
"...was that?"
No one answered.
Because no one truly knew.
He instinctively activated Area Scan once again.
This time...
Not toward the enemy.
Downward.
His mana spread beneath the sanctuary, slipping through layers of soil and tangled roots. Tiny fragments of information returned one after another.
Rocks.
Water veins.
Roots.
Mana.
Then...
Nothing.
It was as though his perception had struck an invisible wall buried deep underground.
"...Again?"
He pushed harder.
The pressure inside his head immediately doubled.
His vision blurred.
Blood dripped silently onto the grass.
Still...
The invisible wall refused to reveal anything.
Almost as if something beneath the sanctuary had rejected his observation.
He immediately withdrew Area Scan.
"...I couldn't see through it."
Adri slowly looked toward him.
"You tried to scan beneath us?"
Limbo nodded.
"There's something..."
"I don't know what."
"But it blocked everything."
Adri quietly closed her eyes.
A long sigh escaped her lips.
"So..."
"It has finally awakened."
Limbo turned toward her.
"You know what it is?"
She remained silent for several moments before slowly shaking her head.
"No."
"I only know..."
"...that this sanctuary has always protected something."
"What that something is..."
"...even I was never told."
Her answer only deepened Limbo's confusion.
Protected...
Something?
His thoughts immediately connected with everything that had happened over the past few days.
The untouched sanctuary.
The Guardian.
Ruddi.
The corruption.
The strange voice Mora kept hearing.
The Beta Fragments reacting.
The System failing.
None of them felt unrelated anymore.
They were pieces of the same puzzle.
Only...
None of them fit together yet.
Across the battlefield...
Traka quietly observed the subtle change in everyone's expressions.
His smile widened ever so slightly.
"So..."
"You felt it too."
Adri's sharp gaze immediately locked onto him.
"What have you done?"
Traka slowly spread his hands.
"I?"
He chuckled.
"I've done..."
"...nothing."
"The one who awakened it..."
"...was never me."
Silence followed.
Even Limbo couldn't tell whether the man was telling the truth or deliberately misleading them.
Traka continued calmly.
"I merely..."
"...knocked on the door."
He slowly raised one finger before pointing toward the sanctuary.
"What wakes..."
"...depends on what sleeps."
Those words lingered in the air long after he finished speaking.
Limbo unconsciously clenched his fists.
Every answer Traka gave only created more questions.
It was as though the man enjoyed speaking in riddles.
Or perhaps...
The truth itself couldn't yet be spoken openly.
Behind Traka, the corrupted creatures slowly began spreading apart once again.
Not retreating.
Repositioning.
Their movements became more organized than before, each group taking a different direction while maintaining perfect distance from one another.
Limbo immediately noticed.
"They're moving again."
"But..."
"This time they're not attacking."
His eyes followed every formation.
Some moved left.
Some right.
Others remained completely still.
It looked less like an army preparing for battle...
And more like workers preparing a ritual.
His heart sank.
"They're setting something up..."
Adri looked toward the same formations.
For the first time since Limbo had met her...
She couldn't deny his conclusion.
"...I think..."
"...you're right."
The realization settled heavily upon all three of them.
Yesterday...
They observed.
Today...
They surrounded.
Now...
They were preparing.
Preparing for what...
None of them knew.
The only certainty was that the battle they had expected...
Hadn't truly begun yet.
And somehow...
That thought was far more terrifying.
The atmosphere grew heavier with every passing second.
No one moved.
Not Limbo.
Not Adri.
Not even Mora, who instinctively hid behind her grandmother's shoulder.
The only ones moving...
Were the corrupted creatures.
Yet even their movements had changed.
There was no madness.
No blind charge.
No reckless assault.
Instead, each group quietly walked toward predetermined locations around the sanctuary, stopping only after reaching a precise position before standing completely still.
It was unnaturally orderly.
Like pieces upon a giant chessboard.
Limbo's eyes followed them one after another.
His mind automatically began arranging everything he observed.
"They're dividing into sectors..."
"No..."
"Not sectors..."
"Positions."
One group remained near the eastern border.
Another surrounded the western edge.
Several flying creatures hovered high above the trees, maintaining equal distances from one another.
Even the corrupted beasts positioned themselves with purpose instead of instinct.
Nothing...
Nothing about this felt accidental.
"They're forming something..."
Limbo muttered.
Adri slowly nodded.
"I see it too."
"But..."
"I don't know what."
Limbo's silver eyes remained fixed upon the battlefield.
Every creature.
Every distance.
Every movement.
His Area Scan desperately tried assembling everything into a recognizable pattern.
Yet every conclusion collapsed before it could fully form.
There were too many unknown variables.
"No..."
"I'm missing something."
"One piece..."
"Just one..."
He unconsciously clenched his fists.
The Beta Fragments vibrated again.
Unlike before...
This time the rhythm matched the slow pulse still rising from beneath the sanctuary.
Thump...
The ground answered.
Thump...
Limbo's pupils narrowed.
"They're reacting to the same thing..."
His thoughts stopped there.
Because the System suddenly flickered once more.
"Signal Interference Detected"
The familiar notification appeared.
Static immediately spread across it.
Another message desperately attempted to overwrite the first.
"Synchroni—"
The screen distorted violently.
Blue fragments scattered before disappearing once again.
"...Synchronize?"
Limbo whispered unconsciously.
Adri looked toward him.
"What did you say?"
He hesitated.
"...Nothing."
No...
It wasn't nothing.
The System had tried saying something.
Again.
And again.
Every time it reached the important part...
Something interrupted it.
His gaze slowly drifted toward the corrupted army.
"Is it them...?"
"Or..."
"Something beneath us?"
Far ahead...
Traka quietly watched the barrier.
Then...
For the first time since arriving...
He laughed.
Not loudly.
Not arrogantly.
Just enough for those standing within the sanctuary to hear.
"Heh..."
His crimson eyes slowly shifted upward toward the barrier surrounding the sanctuary.
"It really is impressive."
One of the corrupted subordinates stepped forward.
"My Lord..."
"Shall we begin?"
Traka remained silent.
His fingers lightly tapped against his arm.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Almost as though counting.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"...Not yet."
The subordinate appeared confused.
"But the formation is complete."
"I know."
"The ritual positions are prepared."
"I know."
"The signal has already—"
"I know."
Traka interrupted without raising his voice.
His gaze never left the sanctuary.
"...You're thinking too small."
The subordinate immediately lowered his head.
"My apologies."
Traka smiled faintly.
"If all I wanted..."
"...was to destroy this place..."
"I would've done so yesterday."
His words drifted across the battlefield.
Limbo heard them clearly.
Adri heard them too.
Both remained silent.
Because neither could tell whether he was bluffing.
Or stating a fact.
Traka slowly extended one hand toward the sanctuary.
"So..."
He spoke almost to himself.
"Let's see..."
"...how much longer..."
"...you can protect what you don't even understand."
His hand slowly closed into a fist.
The moment it did—
Every corrupted creature simultaneously raised its head.
The sky darkened.
Not because of clouds.
But because thousands of corrupted birds suddenly took flight together.
The deafening sound of wings filled the entire forest.
Screeeeeeeech—
The air itself trembled beneath the overwhelming swarm.
Mora instinctively covered her ears.
"Granny..."
Her frightened voice shook.
"They're coming again..."
Adri immediately stepped in front of both Mora and Limbo.
"No."
She whispered calmly.
"This time..."
"...something is different."
Limbo didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed upon the sky.
Watching.
Analyzing.
Searching.
The swarm wasn't diving.
It wasn't attacking.
It was...
Circling.
Round after round.
Higher and higher.
Until it formed an enormous spiral above the sanctuary.
The moment the final bird reached its position...
Every creature on the ground stopped moving.
Silence.
An unnatural...
Oppressive silence.
Even the wind disappeared.
The sanctuary stood completely surrounded.
Above them...
The spiral slowly continued turning.
Below...
Thousands of corrupted creatures waited without making a sound.
Between heaven and earth...
Only three people stood protecting the sanctuary.
And for the first time...
Even Limbo felt it.
This wasn't the beginning of a battle.
It was the beginning...
Of something far worse.
The oppressive silence lasted only a heartbeat before it was swallowed by another wave of chaos.
A deafening screech tore through the heavens.
The enormous spiral of corrupted birds, which had been circling high above the sanctuary, suddenly broke formation. Like arrows released from a bowstring, hundreds of them folded their wings and descended together.
The sky darkened.
Their shadows covered the sanctuary before their bodies ever reached it.
"They're coming again!" Mora cried, instinctively taking a step backward.
BOOOOM!!
The first bird smashed against the barrier with terrifying force, exploding into a shower of black blood and corrupted feathers.
Another followed.
Then another.
Within moments, the transparent dome was assaulted from every direction.
The air filled with violent impacts.
BOOM!!
BOOOM!!
BOOOOM!!
The entire barrier rippled continuously, barely regaining its shape before another creature struck it.
Unlike before, however...
The attack no longer relied solely on the flying creatures.
The moment the birds occupied the upper half of the barrier, the lower-ranked corrupted beasts surged forward once more. Twisted wolves leapt onto the transparent wall, clawing at it relentlessly, while grotesque humanoid creatures slammed their fists against it with mindless determination. Smaller crawling creatures squeezed into every possible opening, attempting to find even the slightest weakness.
The barrier had become the center of a relentless storm.
Yet...
It still refused to break.
Limbo's breathing gradually became heavier.
Sweat rolled down his forehead as he continuously poured mana into the formation. Every impact consumed another portion of his strength before the barrier slowly repaired itself.
"...It's taking more..."
He muttered between breaths.
"Much more than before."
Beside him, Adri maintained her own circulation, allowing streams of energy to flow from her body into the barrier. The countless pathways Limbo had observed earlier shone brilliantly beneath her skin, continuously feeding the protective formation without the slightest interruption.
Even so...
Her expression slowly changed.
"This shouldn't be possible..."
She whispered.
Limbo heard her immediately.
"What?"
Adri stared at the barrier as another wave of attacks crashed against it.
"...This barrier."
"It has endured far longer than it should."
Another tremendous impact shook the ground.
BOOOOM!!
A large crack spread across the upper section before gradually repairing itself once again.
Adri narrowed her eyes.
"I've reinforced this barrier countless times over the years."
"I know its limits."
Her voice grew quieter.
"And this..."
"...has already exceeded them."
Limbo looked toward the shimmering dome overhead.
His own mana was certainly maintaining it.
Adri's strange energy was strengthening it.
But...
Neither of them believed that alone explained its resilience.
"What..."
He asked while watching another series of impacts ripple across the barrier.
"...is this barrier made of?"
Adri remained silent.
For the first time since they had met, she truly had no answer.
"I don't know."
She admitted honestly.
"I inherited its maintenance."
"But not its origin."
"My master never explained who created it."
"Nor what powers it."
Another impact echoed across the sanctuary.
The pendant hanging around Limbo's neck suddenly trembled violently.
Not once.
Not twice.
Continuously.
The vibration spread through his chest before gradually reaching his entire body.
He instinctively grabbed it.
"...Again?"
It had reacted before.
When the Beta Fragments vibrated.
When the System failed.
When the unknown pulse beneath the sanctuary awakened.
But this...
This was different.
The warmth gradually became heat.
Not enough to burn him.
Just enough to make its presence impossible to ignore.
Adri immediately noticed.
Her eyes shifted from the barrier toward the pendant clutched inside Limbo's hand.
"...Your pendant..."
Limbo looked down.
"It started vibrating again."
"...Like before?"
He nodded.
"But stronger."
The pendant continued trembling against his palm, almost as though it were resisting something pressing against the barrier from the outside.
Or perhaps...
Bearing part of its burden.
The thought flashed through Limbo's mind.
Could it be...
No.
There wasn't enough information.
Yet the timing was too perfect to ignore.
Every time the pressure upon the barrier increased...
The pendant reacted.
Almost as though it shared the burden the sanctuary itself was carrying.
His thoughts were interrupted by another familiar blue screen.
"Signal Interference Detected"
The notification remained longer than before.
Limbo's eyes widened slightly.
A second line slowly appeared beneath it.
"Resonance... increasing..."
For a brief moment...
Hope appeared within his eyes.
Finally...
The System was saying something.
But before the sentence could complete—
Static consumed everything.
The screen distorted violently before shattering into countless fragments of blue light.
"...Damn."
Limbo clenched his jaw.
Again.
Whatever force lay beyond the barrier continued interfering with the System itself.
It wasn't simply hiding.
It was preventing information from reaching him.
Far beyond the battlefield, Traka quietly watched the sanctuary from within the shadows of the corrupted army.
His expression remained unreadable.
He neither celebrated the assault nor grew impatient.
Instead, he calmly observed.
The barrier.
The old woman.
The boy.
The pendant.
"...Interesting."
He spoke softly enough that only the nearest subordinates could hear.
"So..."
"It really chose him."
The subordinate beside him frowned.
"My Lord?"
Traka ignored the question.
His crimson eyes remained fixed upon Limbo.
"You still endure..."
"...even after all this time."
Whether those words were directed toward the barrier...
The pendant...
Or something else entirely...
No one knew.
Back inside the sanctuary, Limbo wiped away the blood that had begun flowing from his nose once more.
Area Scan still remained active.
Although weaker than before, he refused to deactivate it.
Every second mattered.
Every piece of information might become the difference between survival and death.
His vision blurred repeatedly.
His head throbbed.
His mana reserves continued dropping.
Yet he endured.
Because simply defending forever wasn't an answer.
Somewhere...
Among the countless enemies surrounding them...
There had to be a weakness.
There had to be a pattern.
There had to be something.
The barrier trembled once more.
This time harder than ever before.
The transparent dome groaned beneath the relentless assault, its shimmering surface growing dimmer with every passing moment.
Limbo slowly tightened his fists.
His eyes never left the battlefield.
Questions continued piling one after another.
Why did the corruption want them alive?
Why had Traka refused to destroy the barrier immediately?
Why did the pendant react?
Why did the System continue failing?
And above all...
What exactly was hidden beneath this sanctuary?
None of those questions could be answered now.
Because this was no longer the time to search for answers.
It was the time to act.
Whether they succeeded...
Or whether they fell...
Would depend upon what they chose to do next.
And standing before an enemy whose origin remained unknown, whose strength was mysterious, and whose motives were buried beneath countless layers of deception...
Limbo took a slow breath.
His silver eyes sharpened.
"...Now..."
He whispered to himself.
"...What can an Adaptive Class... truly do?"
The battlefield answered with another deafening roar.
And the siege...
Had only just begun.