Inside the headquarters of the Adventure Organization, a large room was covered in deep darkness.
The darkness felt heavy, almost suffocating.
There was complete silence inside the room—so deep that even the sound of a small object falling would echo clearly.
After a few seconds, a dim light turned on.
It was not bright enough to show faces, but it revealed shadows.
Fifteen people were sitting around the room, their figures visible but their expressions hidden.
No one spoke.
The atmosphere was tense.
After a long silence, a rough and irritated voice echoed in the room.
"The situation is getting worse."
"The knights are unable to stop the monsters."
"We need to do something…"
The voice carried anger and urgency.
As soon as the words ended, silence filled the room again.
Then, from another corner, an old voice spoke slowly.
"Hmm… we don't have enough knights to keep sending them to die like this…"
A short pause.
"Mr. Hardson… do you have any suggestion?"
Once again, the room became quiet.
All the shadows slowly turned toward one person sitting in the corner.
As their eyes focused on him, he finally spoke.
His voice was calm, deep, and confident.
"We should call him."
The moment Mr. Hardson said this, the entire room reacted.
"What?"
"Are you serious?"
"He can handle the situation…"
"No, he will only create more destruction!"
"We can't release someone at that level!"
Voices started overlapping.
Some agreed with him, while others strongly opposed.
The calm room turned chaotic.
Suddenly—
"THAMM!"
A loud sound echoed as Mr. Hardson slammed his hand on the table.
The noise immediately silenced everyone.
"If we don't call him now…"
"This city will be destroyed… just like the others."
His voice was firm.
This time, no one interrupted.
The tension in the room became even heavier.
Then, a thin and weak voice broke the silence again.
The person spoke slowly, coughing between words.
"Fine… ahh… but we will release only one…"
"Do you have a name?"
Mr. Hardson stayed silent for a few seconds.
It felt like he was thinking deeply.
Then, he spoke softly.
"Mike Celester."
The moment the name echoed in the room, everyone started talking again.
"Mike? But he isn't here right now!"
"He can handle it."
"No, he will turn everything into a massacre…"
The arguments grew again.
Then the same weak voice spoke once more.
"Enough."
"Send a notice to Mike."
"Continue the meeting."
No one argued after that.
The decision was made.
Mr. Hardson spoke again, this time calmly.
"Send more knights to protect civilians."
"Also send food and healers to the bunkers."
Everyone agreed.
One by one, people started leaving the room.
As Mr. Hardson turned to go, a voice came from behind him.
It was sharp and mocking.
"Mr. Hardson… you handled the situation very well…"
"Too bad you couldn't use that brain in Blossom Castle."
The tone was full of sarcasm and hatred.
Mr. Hardson stopped.
His voice became slightly weaker.
"Mr. Seyost… I'm sorry."
Without saying anything else, he left the room.
Behind him, Mr. Seyost spoke in anger.
"Sorry won't change anything…"
"You bastard…"
He clicked his tongue and walked out as well.
Scene Shift – Ottar City
Ottar City was in complete chaos.
When Medusa and Sota reached the city, the first thing Sota saw was the giant monster.
The moment his eyes landed on it—
His body froze.
His eyes widened, unable to blink.
Slowly, he looked down.
And what he saw made his face pale with fear.
Small monsters were attacking people.
They were tearing bodies apart—
men, women, even children.
The streets were covered in blood.
The sound of screams filled the air.
Sota couldn't handle it.
He suddenly bent forward and started vomiting.
"Uhh…"
"Ahh…"
"Unhh…"
His body trembled.
He tried to move, but his legs didn't respond.
It felt like all the strength had left his body.
"W-why… can't I move…?"
"What… is happening here…?"
He spoke in his mind, filled with fear.
At that moment, from his left side—
Four monsters started moving toward him.
Their eyes were filled with bloodlust.
In their eyes, Sota's reflection was visible.
"Ehhh…"
"Ehhh…"
"Ehhh…"
But Sota didn't react.
He was too shocked to move.
As the monsters got closer, his eyes slowly shifted toward them.
His pupils widened in fear.
Then—
"SHUUUU—!"
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Medusa stepped forward.
His sword moved so fast that it was almost invisible.
In a single moment—
All four monsters were cut down.
Their bodies fell instantly.
Blood splashed everywhere.
It landed on Sota's face—warm, thick, and sticky.
His face was covered in red blood.
Sota didn't scream.
He didn't move.
He just stood there—completely frozen.
Slowly, he looked at Medusa.
Then, he looked back at the giant monster.
"Medusa… this…"
He swallowed.
"What is that?"
The giant monster continued to grow.
Rotten flesh kept falling from its body.
As the flesh touched the ground, it transformed into smaller monsters.
It looked endless.
Medusa stepped forward slowly.
His eyes were focused.
His grip on the sword tightened.
"Hide somewhere, Sota."
"I'll handle this."
Sota didn't argue.
He slowly stepped back and left the area.
Medusa stood alone.
He looked at the monster carefully.
"This monster… feels different."
"I need to finish this quickly."
Without wasting another second—
He bent his knees and jumped.
His body shot forward at high speed, heading straight toward the monster.