Kaelith took a step back in shock, her amber eyes wide. She could feel a strange, dense mana radiating from the black pool. It felt cold, yet strangely comforting, like the safety of a deep cave.
"What... what is this magic?" she breathed.
"I have never seen a spell like this. Not even the High Mages of the Capital can manipulate shadows like this"
"It is not a spell. It is a Sanctuary," Lysander explained, gesturing to the dark pool. "This is a sub-dimension tied to my soul. Only those who have sworn absolute loyalty to me can enter it"
He looked up at her towering form.
"Step into my shadow, Kaelith. Inside, you will be hidden from the eyes of the world. No guard, no Duke, and no Mage will be able to detect you. Furthermore, the environment inside will accelerate your healing. You can sleep in peace until I summon you"
Kaelith stared at the black pool. It defied all logic. But she remembered the oath she had taken. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.
Her heavy front hooves touched the shadow. Instead of hitting solid stone, they sank into the darkness without making a sound, like stepping into warm water.
She didn't fall. She felt a gentle pull, a sensation of weightlessness. Slowly, her massive body began to sink into the shadow.
"This is incredible..." Kaelith whispered in absolute awe, looking at her hands as they began to submerge into the darkness. "You truly are a King"
"Rest, my Vanguard," Lysander said softly.
"When I call your name, you will emerge and trample my enemies. Until then, leave the human city to me"
With a final, deeply respectful nod, the giant Centaur sank completely beneath the surface.
The black pool rippled once, then instantly snapped back, attaching itself to Lysander's boots like a normal, ordinary shadow.
The cave was empty.
Lysander stood alone. To the rest of the world, he was just a solitary, heavily armored wanderer. No one would ever suspect that beneath his feet, Heavy Cavalry unit was sleeping, waiting for his command.
"Perfect," Lysander muttered. He turned around, his midnight-blue cloak swirling as he stepped out of the cave and onto the sunlit plains.
"Now... let's go see what the Human Kingdom has to offer"
With heavy, purposeful steps, Zero marched toward the distant walls of Oakhaven.
With heavy, purposeful steps, Zero marched toward the distant walls of Oakhaven.
The tall grass of the plains slowly gave way to dirt roads, and soon, the sprawling farmlands of the Human Kingdom came into view. Wagons carrying hay and merchants traveling with their guards passed by him on the King's Highway.
As he walked, Lysander analyzed his current situation.
Beneath his boots, safely tucked away in his Shadow Sanctuary, slept the giant Centaur, Kaelith.
"System," Lysander thought. "You identified her race as Equus Giganteus. But you never displayed her actual combat rank"
Ding!
"Target was in a state of extreme exhaustion and near-death. Her mana circuits were suppressed by the iron chains. A precise combat rank cannot be calculated until she fully recovers and exerts her aura"
Lysander nodded slightly behind his mask.
"Makes sense," he muttered to himself. "She is massive and clearly built for war. Her father fought fifty Royal Knights... so her bloodline is incredibly strong. But until she is fully healed, her true power remains a mystery. I will have to test her capabilities myself when the time comes"
He adjusted his gear as the massive, sixty-foot-high stone walls of Oakhaven grew closer.
He was currently wearing his Rank B Armor—sturdy, dark, and practical, offering decent protection without being overly flashy. Over it, his tattered Midnight-Blue Cloak draped down to his knees, concealing the bulk of his weapons and his physical build.
But the most important piece of his equipment was the Iron-Wraith Mask.
It covered his entire face, leaving only two narrow slits where his eyes glowed with an unnatural, intimidating red light. Not a single inch of his real skin was visible.
If anyone from his past—anyone who had tortured him, left him for dead, or knew the boy named Lysander—were to look at him right now, they would never recognize him. Lysander was a ghost. The figure walking down the road was Zero, a faceless, menacing mercenary.
As he approached the main gates of Oakhaven, the crowd thickened. Farmers with carts of vegetables, traveling merchants, and low-ranked adventurers were lining up to pay the entrance toll.
Standing at the massive iron-wrought gates were four City Guards. They wore standard steel breastplates and carried long halberds. They looked bored, casually collecting copper coins from the terrified farmers.
But the moment Zero stepped into the line, the atmosphere shifted.
The merchants in front of him nervously stepped aside, giving him a wide berth. The sheer oppressive aura radiating from the masked, cloaked giant made their skin crawl.
The Captain of the Guard, a scarred man with a thick mustache, gripped his halberd tighter and stepped forward, blocking Zero's path.
"Halt!" the Captain barked, though his voice wavered slightly when the glowing red eyes of the mask locked onto him. "State your business in Oakhaven, stranger. And take off that mask. It's city policy to show your face"
Zero didn't move. He stood completely still, towering over the guard.
"My business is trade," Zero replied, his voice mechanically distorted, deep, and utterly devoid of emotion. "And the mask stays on. I suffered a curse in an B-Rank Dungeon. Unless you want the flesh on your face to rot off from exposure, I suggest you let me keep it on"
It was a blatant lie, but in a world of magic and monsters, curses were very real and deeply feared. The guards exchanged nervous glances, instinctively taking a step back.
"Look, pal," the Captain swallowed hard, trying to maintain his authority. "Curse or no curse, I can't just let a masked, armed man walk into the city without proper identification or an Adventurer's Guild tag. You need to pay the toll and prove you aren't a bandit"
Zero simply reached into the leather pouch attached to his belt.
Before leaving the crash site yesterday, he had looted the dead slaver drivers. They had been carrying the advance payment from the Duke.
Zero pulled his hand out and casually tossed a coin at the Captain.
The guard scrambled to catch it. When he opened his palm, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. It wasn't a copper or silver coin. It was a solid, gleaming Gold Coin.
"Keep the change," Zero said coldly. "Now, move"
The Captain stared at the gold coin—worth more than his salary for the next three months. Greed instantly overrode city policy. He quickly pocketed the coin and bowed slightly.
"O-Of course, sir! Welcome to Oakhaven! Let the gentleman through!"
The guards hastily parted, lowering their weapons.
Zero walked straight past them, his dark cloak billowing behind him. As he stepped through the massive stone archway and into the bustling, noisy streets of the Human Kingdom, a dark smile formed beneath his iron mask.
"System," Zero whispered. "Locate the Adventurer's Guild and the Market District. It is time to go shopping"
Zero stepped through the massive gates and into the bustling streets of Oakhaven.
The city was a chaotic maze of cobblestone roads, towering brick buildings, and shouting merchants. The air was thick with the smell of roasted meat, horse manure, and cheap perfume. To a stranger, it was incredibly easy to get lost.
Zero stood near an alleyway, letting the crowds flow past his imposing, black-armored figure. He needed to figure out his next move.
Ding!
[Master, navigating a Human City without local knowledge is inefficient.
Recommendation: Purchase the [Interactive Kingdom Map] from the System Shop.
Cost: 50 SP.
Zero didn't hesitate. He knew the value of good intelligence.
"Buy it," he commanded.
Ding!
[PURCHASE COMPLETE: 50 SP Deducted]
Instantly, a translucent, glowing blue map materialized in the corner of his vision. It detailed every street, alley, guildhall, and merchant district in Oakhaven. It was a massive tactical advantage.
With navigation sorted, Zero opened his physical leather pouch to check his funds.
He tipped the contents into his heavy, gauntleted hand. Two gleaming gold coins and ten dull silver coins clinked together. That was all he had looted from the slaver drivers.
"Two Gold and Ten Silver," Zero muttered, his distorted voice low. "This is pocket change. A decent Rank-B sword alone costs at least twenty gold. If I want to arm my village and buy blacksmithing equipment, I need hundreds"
He needed to make a massive profit, and fast. He accessed his spatial inventory, his eyes scanning the items he had collected. His gaze landed on the rare, high-grade magical fruits he had gathered from the Spirit Forest—fruits saturated with dense mana that humans rarely had access to.
"I will sell the spirit fruits first," Zero decided.
"That should give me enough capital to start"
He opened his map, looking for the nearest high-end merchant guild to offload the goods.
Ding!
[Master Selling high-grade magical fruits to standard merchants will result in a 60% loss of potential profit. Merchants will lowball the price to resell it themselves]
[Alternative Route: The Grand Auction House]
[High-grade consumables are in extreme demand among Nobles and High Mages. Placing the item in a bidding war will maximize your gold return]
Zero paused, reading the glowing blue text. A dark, satisfied smirk formed beneath his iron mask. The System was absolutely right. Why settle for a merchant's fixed price when he could let the greedy nobles fight over it and drive the price to the heavens?
"You make a good point, System," Zero agreed, closing his coin pouch and securing it to his belt. "An auction is exactly what we need. Let the rich bleed their gold for a taste of the Spirit Forest"
He brought up the interactive map in his vision and searched for the Auction House. A golden waypoint immediately lit up on the map, located in the affluent Central District of the city.
With his objective locked in, the faceless wanderer adjusted his midnight-blue cloak.
"Let's go see how much money these humans are willing to part with"
With heavy, purposeful steps, Zero navigated through the crowded streets, heading straight for the heart of Oakhaven's wealth: The Grand Auction House