Night had settled over the Jural district. The narrow streets outside were unusually quiet, lanterns swaying gently in the cool breeze while dim golden light spilled across the road paths.
Inside the modest room the Dex Adventurers had been given, a wooden table stood near the center.
A worn map was spread across it, its edges curling from repeated use.
Darian leaned over the table, one hand braced against the wood as the faint glow of the lantern caught the golden edge of the badge on his chest.
His finger moved slowly across the parchment before stopping on a series of marked circles.
"We are here," he said calmly, tapping one point. "Orienta."
His finger shifted across the map, tracing several other circles that had been marked earlier.
"The Matron Graveweaver has been spotted here…Orienta ,Vylonia, Azura, and Marcellia." He paused, his voice lowering slightly. "Which means we're not dealing with one. There are multiple Graveweavers."
The others leaned closer to the table.
Taren's massive shadow stretched across the map as he folded his arms, his brow tightening.
"The village's, They're about eight hundred kilometers apart from each other," Darian continued, studying the distances. "That's coordinated placement, to be seen in four villages.
A network of Graveweavers."
He straightened slowly.
"This is beyond Silver rank."
The words hung heavily in the room.
Kaia rested one hand on the table's edge, her silver-edged badge catching the lantern light as she looked over the map again.
"This was the only report posted on the Silver board," she said.
"None of the other villages filed requests. No alerts, no panic."
Her silver-violet eyes narrowed slightly.
"Either the weavers haven't reached them yet… or something else is happening."
She lifted her gaze toward Darian.
"And there haven't been reports of missing people either," she added quietly. "Which doesn't make sense."
For a moment the room fell silent except for the faint creak of wood and the distant sound of wind outside.
Kaia glanced toward the window.
"The people here are acting strange too," she continued. "Did you notice it?"
Darian's expression remained calm, but his eyes had hardened slightly as he considered everything.
"Yes," he said.
Another short silence followed.
Then he made his decision.
"We send word back to the guild."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"This could be something far worse than a single nest."
His gaze settled on Kaia.
"Kaia. Stand outside and keep watch. If anything moves or feels wrong, call us immediately."
Kaia gave a short nod.
"Understood."
"Lysander," Darian continued, turning to the lean silver-ranker beside the wall. "Go with her. Stay sharp, observe, and support her."
Lysander pushed himself off the wall, crimson eyes already alert.
"Got it."
Both of them moved toward the door.
"Taren," Darian said.
The large man stepped forward immediately.
"Bring out the orb. We're reporting this to the guild."
Taren didn't waste a second.
He knelt beside his travel pack and opened it, the thick leather straps creaking under his grip. From within he carefully lifted out a large spherical object wrapped in dark cloth.
When the cloth was pulled away, the orb was revealed.
It was massive,nearly the size of a small melon, formed from deep blue crystal that seemed to hold a faint swirling light within its core. Intricate silver inscriptions spiraled across its surface in layered rings, symbols etched with extreme precision. When the lantern light touched the carvings, they glowed softly, as if responding to the presence of Dio.
Thin geometric sigils were arranged along its equator, forming a communication seal used by high-rank guild teams for long-distance reporting.
The air around the orb felt subtly charged.
Taren set the heavy sphere carefully onto the wooden table.
The runic inscriptions flickered faintly as the orb settled in place.
Darian stepped closer, his eyes focused.
"Let's see what the guild makes of this."
VALERIAN: THE GUILD
The door opened as a woman working in the guild stepped inside and closed it behind her.
She looked mostly human, but the white fox ears above her head and the soft white tail behind her revealed she was a demi-human.
Her name was Selene Frosttail.
She had long white hair that flowed neatly down her back and ice-blue eyes that carried a calm, attentive focus. Her outfit was simple but professional: a fitted navy vest over a crisp white shirt, with a dark ribbon tied neatly at her collar.
A ledger rested against her arm as she approached the desk.
"Sir," Selene said, voice steady, "the job that was given to the Dex party. They just contacted the guild to file a complaint. According to their captain, they're requesting backup."
The guildmaster looked up from the papers on his desk.
"What was the job?"
Selene opened her ledger.
"Apparently a Matron Graveweaver was spotted in Orienta, within the Jural District."
"That should be a Silver-rank assignment," the guildmaster replied. "The Dex party has a Gold-rank captain and multiple Silver-rank adventurers. I see no problem."
Selene turned a page.
"According to their report, the weavers have been spotted in four villages in the Jural District."
The guildmaster's expression changed slightly.
"Which villages?"
"Orienta, Vylonia, Azura, and Marcellia."
The room fell quiet.
Selene continued.
"Not only that, those villages never reported anything to the guild. But when the Dex party arrived, they were welcomed normally by the village chiefs of some other villages."
She glanced down at the ledger again.
"And the guild has not received any reports of missing people."
The guildmaster leaned back in his chair.
"That's… strange."
His fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
"A group of Graveweavers covering that much territory is already unusual and impossible," he said slowly.
"But the fact that no missing persons have been reported makes it worse."
He looked toward the map on the wall.
"Graveweavers are carnivores. They prefer human meat."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If multiple Matrons are active, people should already be disappearing."
He paused.
"There's something wrong with this situation."
The guildmaster turned his gaze back to Selene.
"How many parties are currently available that have Gold-rank adventurers or are operating nearby?"
Selene quickly checked her ledger.
"We have two parties, sir."
"Names?"
"Ironcrest Party and Moonveil Party."
The guildmaster nodded.
"Send an emergency call."
Selene straightened slightly.
"Dispatch Ironcrest to Vylonia."
"And send Moonveil to Azura."
His voice grew firm.
"Keep both parties updated on everything related to the Jural District."
Selene closed the ledger.
"Understood, sir."
She gave a respectful nod and turned toward the door.
Her white fox tail swayed gently behind her as she left the office.
The door closed.
The guildmaster remained seated, staring at the map spread across his desk.
Four villages.
Graveweavers appearing across hundreds of kilometers.
No missing people.
No panic.
He slowly exhaled.
"…Something isn't right in the Jural District."
JURAL DISTRICT :ORIENTA
Kaia sat high on the thick branch of a tree near the edge of the village, her body balanced with practiced ease.
From that height she could see the quiet paths between houses and the dark line of forest that surrounded the settlement.
Something moved below.
Her sharp eyes followed a small group of villagers walking slowly toward the bushes at the edge of the forest.
A few children were among them.
Two adults walked behind them.
But something was wrong.
They were walking too calmly.
Too quietly.
Kaia frowned.
"What…?"
The bushes rustled.
A Graveweaver burst forward from the shadows. Its long legs unfolded like blades as thick strands of web shot out, wrapping around the villagers in seconds.
White silk tightened around their arms and legs.
Not one of them screamed.
Not one of them ran.
They simply stood there.
Kaia's eyes widened.
"What the hell is going on…?"
Her grip tightened on the branch.
"They're not even reacting…"
The web tightened around the children and adults, lifting them slightly from the ground as the massive spider dragged them closer.
"They're just standing there like they're under some kind of mind control."
Kaia's voice hardened.
"Lysander!"
Her gaze never left the creature.
"Call the captain!"
She swung the weapon from her back and brought it forward.
The long black weapon rested against the branch as she adjusted a rotating mechanism near the grip.
Click.
A gear shifted inside the weapon.
Along the body of the weapon, the carved symbols suddenly glowed red.
The first rune lit up.
A faint pulse of Dio energy flowed through the crystalline chambers embedded along its frame.
The weapon was active.
Kaia leaned slightly against the tree trunk, steadying her aim.
A narrow point of energy formed deep within the barrel.
Compressed.
Spinning.
Condensing into a tight rolling projectile of Dio, far sharper and more violent than any ordinary shard.
Kaia exhaled.
Then she pulled the trigger.
The projectile exploded forward.
The moment it left the barrel it tore through the air with terrifying speed.
In the blink of an eye
Impact.
The Graveweaver shrieked.
One of its massive legs was severed clean off, spinning away from its body before crashing into the ground.
Thick green blood splashed across the dirt and the villages , as the creature screamed violently.
But the villagers still didn't move.
They remained standing in the webs, their eyes blank.
Kaia stared in disbelief.
"They're still not reacting…"
Her focus snapped back to the monster.
The Graveweaver's body twisted violently,
And then something worse happened.
The torn stump of its leg began to regrow.
Flesh and chitin twisted together as a new limb forced its way out.
Another leg shifted forward, replacing the lost one.
Kaia's eyes sharpened.
"Impossible…"
"Weavers regenerating?"
She quickly turned the weapon's mechanism again.
Click.
The second gear shifted.
New runic symbols ignited across the weapon's surface.
This time the energy inside the crystalline chambers changed.
The red glow faded into a pale cold blue.
Kaia steadied her aim again.
"Let's see you regenerate from this."
She fired
The weapon released a rapid series of compressed Dio shard's.
Each projectile burst from the barrel in quick succession.
When they struck the Graveweaver.
A violent surge of freezing energy detonated across its body.
Ice spread instantly over its limbs.
Crack.
Crack.
The creature's multiple legs froze solid before shattering apart, pieces of frozen chitin scattering across the ground.
The monster screeched wildly as its body locked under the freezing assault.
Kaia fired one last shot.
The final projectile raced straight toward the creature's head.
But before it could hit
Another web shot out from the darkness.
The thick strand of silk was coated in corrosive acid.
It intercepted the attack midair.
The freezing projectile struck the web.
The ice melted instantly on contact.
From the forest behind the first creature, another Graveweaver emerged, larger and darker...
Its many eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
It dragged the injured spider backward with powerful legs before cutting the webs around the captured villagers.
Then both creatures retreated.
They vanished into the forest shadows.
Kaia lowered the weapon slowly.
Her eyes remained fixed on the dark tree line.
"…Damn it."
Her voice was low.
"It got away "