Chapter 291 (Patreon)

Shai’s growl rose into something deeper, fuller, until it burst from her chest in a thunderous roar that seemed to scrape against the ancient stone of the temple itself. The sound did not simply echo, it lingered, as if even the air hesitated to settle afterward. Kana felt it in her bones more than she heard it. Whatever lay beyond those worn doors, it was no longer hiding.

Mica’s voice came quieter, but sharper for it. “Someone is coming.”

Kana’s eyes narrowed. That alone was enough to unsettle her. The ancient temple was wrapped in something unnatural, a suffocating veil that dulled even her [High Awareness] to uselessness. It was like trying to see through thick black water. And yet Shai, guided by instinct older than text of god or system, had already found what Kana could not. That realization alone made Kana straighten just a little more, her fingers twitching faintly at her side.

The doors did not burst open. They did not creak in warning. Instead, three men simply stepped out as if they had always been there, as if the temple had merely decided to reveal them. Their pace was slow, unbothered. Relaxed in a way that felt wrong.

The first was impossible to ignore. A massive man with a thick black beard that framed his face like a mane, his presence alone filling the narrow space between them. The shield strapped to his arm was less a piece of equipment and more a wall given shape, nearly as large as his own body. When he moved, it was with the steady confidence of someone who had never once been forced to retreat.

Beside him walked a bald man clad in tight black clothing, his entire frame wrapped in heavy metal chains that shifted and clinked softly with each step. The sound was faint, but it carried a weight that made it hard to ignore, like the quiet rattle of something dangerous kept barely in check. His eyes moved more than the others, sharp and restless, as though constantly measuring distance, timing, opportunity.

Behind them came the third.

He did not belong with the first two, at least not at a glance. His clothes were too clean, too composed. Almost noble. But the bluish markings etched across his face shimmered faintly, catching what little light there was, and that alone shattered any illusion of normalcy. He walked without hurry, without tension, as if the outcome of whatever would happen next had already been decided.

“Hello, little fellas.”

The bearded man’s voice rolled out deep and heavy, carrying an odd warmth that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He tilted his head slightly, studying them with an almost amused curiosity. “You remind me of my nephews.”

His gaze shifted, landing briefly on each of them before settling. Then, casually, he gestured.

“Are you here for this?”

The man wrapped in chains reached into his pocket without a word and pulled something out. It glittered faintly even in the dim light, a green crystal-like substance that caught the eye far too easily. It looked harmless. Pretty, even.

Kana felt her stomach tighten.

She nodded once, slow and deliberate. “Looks like... we are in the right place.”

The bearded man broke into a laugh, loud and easy, as though this were nothing more than a casual marketplace exchange. His eyes flicked toward Leo, lingering just a fraction longer, taking in the subtle details. The posture. The bearing.

He dipped his head slightly, a mockery of politeness that was just convincing enough to pass. “Oh, we have a noble friend here. Where are my manners?”

He straightened, placing a hand against his chest. “Name’s Tip. Class [Guardian]. I’m simply selling these things.”

The bald man frowned faintly, as if annoyed by something unseen. His chains shifted as he moved, the sound sharper now. He gave a shallow bow, more out of habit than respect. “Jio. [Shacklemancer]”

His lips curved just slightly, not quite a smile. “I don’t just sell. I deliver too. People, mostly. Straight to your door.” His gaze flicked across them, cold and assessing. “Unless it’s the king… or the guildmaster.”

The implication didn’t need explaining.

The third man didn’t bow. He didn’t smile. He simply looked at them, head tilting ever so slightly, as though examining something that had caught his interest.

“Prime,” he said. “[Mystic].”

Nothing more. Nothing less. And somehow, that made him the most unsettling of the three.

Kana gulped, not out of fear, but something sharper. Something electric. Her pulse had quickened, not with panic, but anticipation. These weren’t ordinary classes. Their presence pressed against her instincts, demanding attention, demanding adaptation.

New classes. Unknown abilities. Danger.

Prime’s gaze shifted then, landing on Shai. His eyes lingered there, narrowing just a fraction as something like recognition flickered across his face.

“That magical beast of yours is quite familiar—”

“Enough of that.”

Tip cut him off, clapping his hands together once, the sound echoing lightly through the hollow space. His grin returned, wide and easy, as if they were merely discussing trade over drinks.

“We’re running low on stock,” he said, voice casual, almost apologetic. “So the price is a bit higher this time.”

Behind the words, beneath the smiles, something coiled. And Kana could feel it. It was the moment just before everything broke.

….

It all unfolded in a heartbeat, in that fleeting instant where action, outran thought and instinct took the reins. Leo would later try to piece it together, but the memory blurred at the edges. Still, one thing stood clear in his mind. Kana had moved first.

The three men had looked at ease, almost careless in the way they stood before them, but there had been no true opening. No weakness. Beneath that calm surface, they had been ready. Waiting.

And when Kana moved, they answered.

The metal chains struck first.

They snapped outward from Jio’s body with a sharp metallic hiss, not toward Kana, but toward Shai. The sudden shift caught Leo off guard for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to make his chest tighten. He pushed himself forward immediately, boots digging hard into the ground as he raised his shield, forcing his body to move faster, harder.

Yet he was too slow.

The chains wrapped around Shai in an instant, tightening with unnatural force as they slammed her into the ground. The impact cracked the earth beneath her, the sound sharp and violent. Shai growled, low and furious, her body straining against the bindings as the chains coiled tighter, refusing to give.

Leo felt something twist inside him.

Mica moved next, faster than he expected. The ground beneath her feet fractured as she launched forward, her entire focus locked onto the enemy’s position. At the same time, Kana had already closed the distance, her movement precise, direct.

She went for Jio, the man who could use the metal chain around his body. Her curved blade flashed, cutting through the space between them in a clean, decisive arc. It should have landed. It should have ended there.

But Jio’s body flickered. For the briefest moment, it was as if reality itself shifted. And then he was gone. Tip, the man with a thick beard stood in his place.

The massive shield came up just in time.

Kana’s strike collided with it with a deafening force, the sound ringing out as the ground beneath Tip’s feet cracked and splintered. Dust burst outward from the impact, and even the air seemed to ripple from the sheer strength behind the blow.

Tip’s eyes widened, surprise breaking through his composure. He had expected speed. He had not expected that kind of power. Was it sweat forming all over his face?

Leo barely had time to process it.

Something else had already formed.

A sphere of red and black appeared in the air, its surface twisting in a way that made it difficult to look at directly. It didn’t glow. It was as if consuming everything. The space around it seemed to bend, as if rejecting its presence.

Then it moved fast.

Leo reacted on instinct, stepping forward, shield raised as he braced himself. His mind ran through every option, every skill he had trained into his body.

[Perfect Counter]… is useless here.

[Mage] like skills. It had always been his weakness. Something he couldn’t quite grasp, couldn’t quite fight the way he wanted to. He knew it, and because he knew it, he had prepared for it. His shield carried enchantments designed to withstand [Mage] attacks like this.

So he held his ground. He would take it head on just like before. The orb closed the distance in an instant. And then Leo’s breath caught. Before it even made contact, his shield began to change. The surface warped, softened, as if it were being melted by something far beyond heat. There was no impact yet, no collision, and already it was melting.

His grip tightened.

Doubt formed in his mind, this wasn’t something he could block. His heart pounded, loud and heavy in his chest. Am I going to die? The thought came uninvited, sharp and clear.

He remembered all of a sudden—when he was studying non-stop since he was a little kid, first time holding a sword, when she met Kana for the first time at the Saltrain village.  It was fun. All the happy memories seemed to go back to him.

Then, just before the orb could reach him, something shimmered into existence.

A thin, bluish barrier flickered between him and the attack. The orb struck it, and the air rippled violently, the two forces grinding against each other in a silent clash. The barrier bent, strained under the pressure, but it held.

Barely.

The orb stopped just inches from Leo’s body.

Behind him, Suri’s voice came, calm in a way that felt almost out of place,“Looks like the new mana shield is working fine,” she muttered, as if she were observing a small experiment rather than preventing a disaster. “Though it just drained a third of my mana.”

There was a pause, and then her tone shifted, louder this time.

“You owe me your life this time, Sir Leo.”

Leo exhaled, breath shaky as the tension in his chest finally released. Relief washed over him, quick and sharp.

Then irritation followed just as quickly. Of course it was her.

His jaw tightened slightly as he steadied himself, eyes still fixed on the enemies ahead.

This had been her idea, going into the underground district all of a sudden. And now he suddenly owed her his life. It did not feel right.

Post note:They are executives for a reason.Happy weekends.

Fifth chap of the week.

Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂

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