Chapter Seven: First Mission
The moment Vael stepped outside, the world felt… louder.
Not in sound—but in presence.
The city stretched before him, alive in a way the forest never was. Vendors lined the streets, their voices rising over one another as they advertised goods with practiced enthusiasm. Children ran past in bursts of laughter, weaving through the legs of adults who barely noticed. The scent of cooked food lingered in the air, mixed with the faint metallic tang of steel from passing guards.
Everything was normal.
Peaceful.
And yet—
Vael felt it.
Something was different.
Not the world.
Him.
He walked beside Lucien in silence at first, his eyes scanning everything—not out of curiosity, but instinct. Movements felt clearer. Sounds sharper. His body… lighter. Even at F rank, something inside him had shifted. Not dramatically, not overwhelmingly—but enough.
Enough to notice.
"…Where are we going?" Vael finally asked, breaking the silence.
Lucien didn't answer immediately. His pace remained steady, his gaze forward.
Then—
"Beasts are being smuggled into the city."
Vael frowned.
"Smuggled?" he repeated. "For what?"
They reached a carriage waiting near the edge of the district. Lucien stepped in without hesitation. Vael followed.
As the carriage began to move, Lucien continued.
"To be corrupted."
Vael's expression hardened slightly.
"…Corrupted how?"
Lucien rested his elbow lightly against the window frame, his fingers brushing his chin in thought.
"Demonic energy infusion," he said calmly. "There are groups that capture beasts, transport them in secret, and force demonic essence into their bodies."
Vael's eyes narrowed.
"That sounds… unstable."
"It is."
Lucien's tone didn't change.
"Beasts and demonic energy don't naturally align. The process is violent. Most don't survive it."
"And the ones that do?"
Lucien glanced at him.
"They become something else."
A short silence followed.
Vael leaned back slightly, thinking.
"…And the goal?"
Lucien's gaze shifted back outside.
"Unknown."
That alone made Vael uneasy.
"No one risks something like that without a reason," he said.
Lucien gave a small nod.
"Exactly."
His fingers tapped lightly against his arm.
"Chaos is the simplest explanation. Release corrupted beasts into the city, let them rampage."
Vael frowned deeper.
"But controlling them…"
Lucien exhaled quietly.
"That's the question."
The carriage rolled to a slow stop.
"We're here."
Vael stepped out after Lucien—and immediately noticed the difference.
The eastern district.
"…So this is the east…" he muttered under his breath.
He had never been here before.
The atmosphere was different from the inner city. Less refined. More movement. More trade. Large wagons lined the roadside, merchants moving goods in and out under the watchful eyes of guards.
And then—
He saw them.
Holy Knights.
Five… maybe six.
Armed. Armored. Structured.
A swordsman stood at the front, clearly the captain. His presence alone made it obvious—stronger, sharper, commanding.
A-rank.
Vael's gaze lingered for a moment.
Then—
"Damn it…"
The captain's voice cut through the air.
"What are those church bastards doing here?"
Vael's attention snapped back as the man approached them, irritation clear on his face. But as he got closer, that irritation shifted—covered up with something more presentable.
A smile.
Fake.
"We already have this under control," the captain said.
Lucien didn't react.
"Do you?" he asked calmly.
The captain's smile tightened slightly.
"No signs of corruption. Just trade."
Vael stood slightly behind Lucien, observing.
His mind drifted for a second.
Church operatives… and Holy Knights.
He had heard stories.
Tension. Disagreement. Clashing methods.
Now he was seeing it.
Up close.
And then—
A flicker of memory.
The forest.
The captain running.
Leaving his squad.
Using him.
Vael's eyes darkened slightly.
"…That's in the past…" he told himself silently.
But another thought followed.
Ryn.
"…Did you survive?"
"Let's do our own inspection," Lucien said, cutting through Vael's thoughts.
The captain sighed.
"…Fine. Whatever."
Lucien moved.
Vael followed.
The inspection had already begun before they arrived—wagons opened, goods checked, civilians questioned. But now, there was a difference.
Precision.
Vael focused.
A faint flicker—
[Scan Activated]
His vision sharpened slightly as he began observing more closely.
They moved from wagon to wagon.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing—
Then—
A carriage.
Two men stood beside it.
Lucien approached first.
"Good afternoon," he said calmly.
The men nodded quickly.
"…Afternoon, sir."
Lucien's gaze lingered.
"…You seem tense."
One of the men laughed nervously.
"Tense? No, sir. Just… long day."
Vael watched.
Their posture.
Their breathing.
Their eyes.
[Scan Complete]
[Targets: Human]
[Threat Level: Low]
His gaze shifted—
To the carriage.
[Scanning…]
[Result: Irregular Mass Detected]
Vael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Lucien spoke again.
"What's in the crates?"
"Fruits," the man replied quickly. "Fresh delivery."
Lucien glanced at the crates.
Then back at them.
"These are large… for fruits."
Vael stepped forward.
His hand rested lightly on one of the crates.
[Scan Deepening…]
[Contents Identified: Beasts (Low Rank)]
[Status: Sedated]
Vael opened it.
Fruits.
Just fruits.
He stared.
Then—
He smiled slightly.
"You're smart," Vael said.
The men froze.
"Covering them with fruits," he continued, "so it won't be noticeable."
Silence.
Lucien moved.
CRACK.
The crate shattered under his hand.
Fruits spilled everywhere.
And beneath—
Beasts.
Five of them.
Bound. Breathing. Alive.
A murmur spread behind them.
"…Damn it, now this goddamn church operatives will think they are better than us holy knights" the captain muttered.
Lucien's gaze sharpened.
"Explain."
The men didn't hesitate.
"Shit—!"
Their hands moved.
Fast.
Needles flew—
Straight into the beasts.
"—!"
Vael's eyes widened.
Then—
A small object hit the ground.
Lucien moved instantly.
He grabbed Vael.
Pulled him back—
BOOM.
The explosion filled the air with thick smoke.
Heat.
Pressure.
Silence—
Then movement.
Lucien raised his hand slightly.
A faint pulse of energy—
The smoke cleared.
The men—
Gone.
Lucien's gaze hardened.
"Captain," he said without turning, "take your squad. Find them."
The captain didn't argue this time.
"Move!" he barked, already turning.
The Holy Knights scattered.
Vael exhaled slowly.
"…That escalated fast."
Lucien didn't respond.
Because—
A sound.
Low.
Deep.
Wrong.
Vael turned.
The beasts.
They were moving.
But not like before.
Their bodies trembled violently, veins darkening beneath their skin as something pulsed inside them. Their eyes—once dull—now glowed faintly red.
"…That's not normal," Vael said quietly.
Lucien's voice was calm.
"They injected them."
A beast growled.
Its body twitched—
Then snapped.
The rope bindings tore apart as it surged to its feet, its form distorting unnaturally.
More growls followed.
One.
Two.
Five.
All of them—
Changing.
Vael's fists tightened.
[Scan Active]
[Targets: Corrupted Beasts]
[Rank: E to D]
[State: Unstable / Aggressive]
[Survival Probability: 38%]
"…Yeah…" Vael muttered.
"…this is bad."