To give is to be taken

In the blink of an eye, a battle axe struck the magical stones, breaking them into fragments. Their container lay in ruins, completely unusable.

"Huh..?"

The cult members stiffened, scanning their surroundings. It was clear that they were under attack, but was it a monster or a person?

Their uncertainty didn't last long. Another projectile flew through the air, striking one of their own in the head. It didn't kill him, just rendered him unconscious.

"Formation! We are under attack by a human!" their commander's roaring voice snapped the cult members' attention.

For Kafka, this was perfect timing.

She rushed, unarmed, from the top of the building. She leaped—crashing down with a dropkick that sent one cultist sprawling.

"Five more to go..." Her breath hitched as she dashed toward the remaining gunner of the group.

"An adventurer! Immobilize her!!"

Gunshots rang out. Kafka twisted and weaved between them with ease, her movements too fast for them to land a hit.

The gunner panicked. As she slowly closed in, he abandoned his gun and reached for the stun gun.

Kafka's eyes followed his hand. She predicted this.

They weren't prepared to kill her—as they considered her to be one of them.

They wanted her. They wanted her alive.

She skidded to a stop, seized his wrist, and yanked him forward—driving her knee hard into his gut. He collapsed with a gasp.

Four left.

They were all armed with knives, likely coated in poison. Close combatants.

One lunged. She met him with a brutal punch to the face, sending him crashing into a wall.

Another attacker charged with a knife overhead. Without hesitation, Kafka effortlessly twisted her body, driving a powerful back kick right into his nuts. He crumpled to the floor with a strangled whimper, tears welling in his eyes.

Her eyes drifted to the last two members, rushing toward her from opposite sides. Their blades flashed, gliding through the air toward her—

Yet Kafka dropped into a full split at the last second. The cultists' attacks missed, their momentum carrying them forward, straight into each other. They staggered, dazed.

She took advantage immediately, rolling forward and sweeping one's legs out from under him. With a sharp yank of his robe, she pulled him down, pinning him.

The last cultist barely had time to react before another projectile struck him square in the head. His body went limp, collapsing onto the ground.

"Nice save, Rangi!" Kafka shot a glance at Rangi, who had been camping in the other building. She flashed him a grin and raised a thumb.

In return, he hesitantly mirrored the gesture.

"By the way, why didn't you accompany her, Harriet?" Rangi mumbled as he began tidying up his gun, disassembling it before putting the rest of its spare parts in his dimensional pocket.

"I mean, she can handle the small fries anyway." Harriet rolled his eyes, arms crossed. He slowly stepped toward the window, watching Kafka tie ropes around the cult members.

Truthfully, it was Kafka's insistence that kept him from stepping in.

She'd made it clear—if someone died because of his reckless swordplay, she'd be furious.

That memory lingered in his mind. The moment he had charged at Rangi with Thanaktos... yet, somehow, Rangi had emerged unscathed.

Sigh.

"Kafka... doesn't want to kill them. Baffles me, but okay," Rangi muttered before jumping out of the window to catch up with their ally on the ground.

Yes. Unfortunately, that is true.

Harriet thought to himself as he followed suit. Even he was baffled. She could stomach executing monsters but not humans. No matter how wrong they were, Kafka would insist on sparing them.

How foolish.

Harriet scanned the surroundings. It seemed like it was just them and the cult members, yet he couldn't shake the nagging feeling in his chest.

Is someone else watching?

"I wonder what they were planning to do with this many magical stones?" Kafka mused, crouching to poke at the larger fragments scattered across the ground.

Yet, their magic slowly flickered, losing power from her mere contact.

Kafka sighed.

"Ah, indeed, I too ponder—what madness compels you, O wretched savages, to lay ruin upon the sacred charge of my brethren?"

Harriet's eyes widened, his breath hitched.

What is this power?!

"Did one of you suddenly decide to start monologuing like an old poet?" Kafka blinked, glancing between Harriet and Rangi—completely oblivious to the figure standing behind her.

"My dearest, you cut me to the quick. Pray, what meaning lies within your words?"

"None of you are talking... is someone messing with my head?" Kafka grumbled in annoyance before standing up.

"Ezen."

Rangi finally spoke, his face filled with disdain.

"Rangi, there you are!"

The man stepped forward slowly, and only then did Kafka take notice of him.

Her eyes traced from where the man was, following his steps with caution.

"You know this weird man?"

Harriet mumbled, shooting a glance at Rangi, who was clearly not feeling the merriment coming from the man.

"Indeed! Brother Rangi has forsaken the Sky Fortress for nigh decades... Alas, such is the lamentable greeting he bestows upon me upon our rendezvous." The man raised his hand dramatically, pressing it to his heart with a melodramatic frown.

"Ezen is his name. And you guys will hate him. A lot." Rangi said flatly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I can see that..." Kafka agreed, a cringe flashing across her face.

"Sigh... might I at least be granted the warmth of a single, kind greeting from any of you?" The man puffed his cheeks out in mock frustration, stepping back with exaggerated drama.

"Nah, step back, cringelord." Harriet rolled his eyes, seemingly the fear he had once felt dissipating because of the man's goofiness.

With another sigh, the man finally bowed, like an old gentleman. "Ladies and gentlemen, hear me now—I am Ezen Mischaeltis C. Ifgenia, the Sky Fortress's 99th Prince, and the mastermind behind the creation of Everwatchers."

Harriet's eyebrows furrowed, his expression a mix of confusion and suspicion.

"And, of course, I like flowers." Ezen's purple eyes glimmered mischievously.

Kafka gasped before pointing at Ezen. "They're truly brothers!"

"I refuse to take him in..."

"You all seem to have forgotten the important point!" Ezen shot them a pointed look, breaking character with a sharp, deadpan tone.

"Who wouldn't..." Rangi flatly mumbled before pointing the muzzle of his handgun at Ezen.

"Now, now... I have no wish to engage in such strife."

"Aren't you the leader of these cultists?" Harriet slowly drew his sword. "Meaning, you must be apprehended and turned over to the authorities!" he reasoned, though hesitantly.

Ezen frowned. "Hero, you strike at my very soul. Is it truly your desire to bring us to blows?" he asked, nonchalantly flicking his fingers.

Suddenly, he was teleported in front of Harriet. "Would you, in your folly, dare to lay harm upon me?"

Harriet stumbled back.

This was Rangi's cue to shoot Ezen, but the target vanished before his eyes.

Suddenly, Ezen appeared behind Kafka.

"My wish is but a simple one," Ezen chuckled heartily. Kneeling on one knee, he reached for a small black box, laced with golden floral designs.

"—my dearest Kafka. As the incarnate of the Elven Hero, would you, in your grace, bestow upon me the honor of becoming my bride?"

Harriet's jaw dropped.

Kafka's face twisted in utter cringe.

Rangi had probably seen this coming.

"I desire you—no, us! To seize dominion over this world, side by side, hand in hand! I place my unwavering faith in your strength, in the boundless power that resides within you. With your gifts, I am certain we shall rise as the Emperor and Empress this world so desperately requires."

Ezen's speech made everyone cringe.

What is this guy saying? What is he talking about?

"...What is this bullshit?" Kafka muttered, her face scrunching up in disgust.

"I intend to make you mine, to bind our fates together in marriage!" Ezen answered happily.

"I reject!" Kafka responded with disdain.

"Thus, I shall wait for you, with patience unyielding, until the moment you are ready!" Ezen remained unfazed, his enthusiasm genuine, despite his dramatic flair, he likely truly desired Kafka.

"You... can't just propose to someone you just met..." Harriet flatly mumbled, though he was still quite terrified by the way Ezen displayed a fraction of his skills.

This man is no joke. But his personality? A joke.

He glanced at Rangi—

Where is he?!

His gaze shifted to the building at the corner of his vision. Rangi was puking, clearly disgusted by the thought of sharing blood with this 'cringelord.'

What the hell.

"Ah, well... I may as well see my mission through, Hero."

Ezen suddenly appeared behind Harriet. Before he could react, arms wrapped around his waist—then slam!

A suplex.

It happened so fast that barely anyone registered it.

It knocked Harriet out for a moment, his vision blurred, and he felt the impact ringing in his head.

A shot fired toward Ezen, but his figure dissolved into black smoke.

Rangi raised his gun, seemingly trying to predict where Ezen would reappear. He clicked his tongue as he chanted under his breath,

"Magical Bullet Number 1313..."

A surge of light flared from the gun's muzzle. Rangi maneuvered his gun, aiming at his side. He predicted where.

That's where Ezen reappeared—

Surprised, Ezen tried to dodge by leaping backward, yet this time—the 'bullet' seemed different.

The beam of energy stretched toward Ezen, almost decapitating him had he not bent backward in time.

BOOM—!

A heavy blow from Kafka—her fist landing on Ezen's forehead. He crashed onto the ground, bloodied and battered.

"Just as I had foreseen from my dearest!"

Instead of getting angry, Ezen relished taking a beating from Kafka.

It repulsed her.

But before she could react, Ezen's body dispersed again. This time, he reappeared behind her, arms wrapping around her waist—going for another suplex.

"Tell me, fair lady, when might you grant me the honor of a date?" Ezen asked with a smug grin.

Kafka's face twisted in sheer cringe. Her body bucked forward. The sudden motion flipped Ezen over, slamming him into the ground instead.

The muzzle of Rangi's gun was now aimed at Ezen's forehead.

"What are you even planning with the Magical Stones?" he asked, preparing to pull the trigger.

"Obviously, something serious." Ezen chuckled.

His figure dissolved once again—only to reappear at a distance.

"A lot of monster activity has been rising. Might as well investigate it," he said, mischief flickering in his eyes. He wiped the blood from his forehead with the sleeve of his long coat, a dramatic flair still present despite the situation.

"What do you mean by that?" Kafka asked, skeptical of his intentions.

"Like that one." Ezen pointed at a shadow looming above a building. "Weird, right? That's an abnormal one," he mumbled under his breath, his bravado seemingly fading.

Both Kafka and Rangi followed his finger.

There really was a monster watching them from a distance.

But it wasn't like the ones they normally saw—it was built differently.

It stood at the height of a human, yet its skin was void-black, an unnatural absence of color. Smoke curled from its head, yet no heat radiated from it.

"These kinds have been appearing. I wanted to lure it." Ezen stated, raising his hand above his head. Magical circles formed above the monster.

Kafka mused.

Lure it with what?

She thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Rangi braced himself.

Then his breath hitched.

His pulse quickened.

His eyes widened.

That figure...

"It was drawn here by negative emotions," Rangi muttered.

"Precisely." Ezen smirked, his hand tightening into a fist.

BOOM—!

An asteroid crashed into the building, shaking the entire Dungeon.

Fortunately, Ezen had prepared for the shockwave, conjuring barriers along with his attack.

".̴͙̹̍̂͊.̷̠̲̞͉͒.̴̧̭̽͜ͅR̸̝̜̜̆-̷͔̓̓R̶̲̟͉̊à̴͈̜̩n̸̗̙̥̦͗̌g̵̬̔͑̂i̶̝̠͋͊̀͆!̷̝̬͐!̸̨͂"

A cry echoed from beneath the rubble.

A hand punched through the debris.

Then the monster stood.

"H̴̨̳̬͎̀̿́͊ó̴̢̜͔͖͊w̴̟͎͚͕͐̂̑͑.̷͍̚.̸̻̳̞̓.̸̡̛̲̣̩̋͐̔ ̵̧̮̃d̵̞̰͊a̸͉͇͙̤̿͊r̷̳͗́͛̈́e̶̡̽̀̀ ̵̡̳̩̺͊̄͝y̶̻̼͒o̷̖͔̦̝̔̀̿͛u̸̲͑̃͑?̶̤̯̖͑!̷͇̮̟̲̊͗?̴̣͙̐̋̆" it roared, its voice hoarse and glitching, like a broken transmission.

Ezen clicked his tongue. His attack hadn't been enough to knock the monster unconscious.

Though it was faceless, Rangi felt a familiar tug in his chest.

Fear flashed in his eyes.

He tried to suppress it.

Tried to stay levelheaded.

"Kafka, don't rush in," Rangi warned.

Kafka nodded, gripping her battle axe. This time, she intended to fight with a weapon.

"Truly, the Dungeon is a realm of untold bounty..."

Ezen flicked his fingers once again—casting at least five spells at once.

Layers of intricate magic circles covered the monster.

"It brims with mysteries yet unveiled! Oh, how I long to uncover its secrets!" A surge of energy erupted from the circles, streaks of light hammering the monster over and over—

Yet with a single swing of its sword, the monster cut through the magic itself.

A blur of movement.

Kafka's instincts ran wild as she parried the monster's sword with her battle axe—it had nearly cut Rangi down.

"R̸̢̈́a̵͓̾n̴̗̬̈́͠g̴͚̳͛͑ï̸̘͒!̶̳͙̄ ̵̼͝͝S̷̰̱̾̄h̵̺̄͘ȏ̸̱̼w̶̪͚͘ ̸̮̩̀͋y̶̬̺̎o̴̢̻̊̎ũ̵͎̹r̵̰͍͝s̸͙̮͝ẻ̴̱̳̓l̷̤̟̈́f̸̳͛!̶̮̮̈̓!̶̲̚ ̷̗͙̑̕Y̵̡̮̐̀o̶̡̬͛u̷̞̩̐̽ ̸̤̪͠ẗ̷̥̕r̵͇͑̎ȧ̵̺̈́í̵̭̮̚t̸̫͠õ̸̧͉ṙ̸̹̞!̴͍̽!̷̗̬̐͘"

The monster's voice rang with rage and anguish. Was it pain? Fury? Kafka couldn't tell.

The sheer weight of its sword began to crack the axe's blade.

Kafka clicked her tongue.

She tried to push the monster back with brute force—but her weapon continued to splinter, steel fracturing into fragments.

Just as the monster raised its sword, reinforcing its attack—

Rangi yanked Kafka away and fired a different kind of bullet, sending the creature crashing into a wall.

Ezen wasted no time. He cast another spell, but this time, shadowy tendrils erupted, binding the monster in place.

It thrashed violently, glitching and distorting as it screamed.

"D̵̞̅ȧ̵̢̠̂m̵̛̘̹̔ň̵̦̯ ̴̙̿̅ỷ̶͙ỏ̶̺ű̴͚͘!̶̙̜̕ ̴̛̰̀D̶̮̈a̶̲̓m̵̟̪̔̀ṇ̸̫͗ ̶̘̠̈y̵̲͐o̶̳̓ṵ̴̯̊̽!̵͚̯̂̏ ̶̤̌Ȳ̵̩o̵͙͌̌͜ù̸̘͝ ̸̛̣̌t̸̯̏r̶͍͋͝a̶̖͐i̸̩͓͒̇ṱ̴͙̓̍o̸͈͑r̷͈̓̈́!̶̧̓̚ ̴̬̅B̵̖͚͝r̵̤̔i̸̗̥̐́n̶̘̓͂g̸̪͗ ̴̨̟̽́m̶̪̽͒y̷͚̘͛ ̸͕͔̓̋t̷͔̙͘ḯ̵̳m̷̨̄̚ê̴̞͇̇ ̴̡̈́̃b̵̤͘͠ä̶̻̱́̈ĉ̶͚͈k̴̛̠̋!̸̺̃̇ ̶̖̘̅̏B̸̠͋r̷̜̐i̴̯͝ñ̶̳̚g̸͕̾ ̴̭̟̂ḛ̶̪́v̵̦͇̀e̵̱̔͘ȓ̷͎̀y̷̥̠̾o̴͈̿n̵̪͉̏̓e̸̡̋̾ ̸̦͕̊b̶̛͉̳̆a̶͕̔͐c̴̲͠k̵̩͌!̶̦̌ ̶͓̐Ḅ̵̓̄r̴̛̞̆ĩ̴͙̈́ǹ̸͇g̵̖̏ ̸̣͕̉͊ȇ̵̗v̵̲̺̍e̴͎͐̋ṙ̴̢̚ÿ̴̦̓t̶̻̆́h̴͖̋͘i̷͓̮͠n̵̯͒̊g̴̢̟͒ ̸͖̈́͛b̵̰̥̔̅a̵̗̹͊͆c̴͍̿͌ͅķ̵̨̒ ̶͍͊t̶̪̀ő̷̥̏ ̷͈͆̓n̸̲̹͐̉o̸͚̎r̸̲̞͋́m̴̝̫͋a̷̭͍̎l̵̼͔̈!̴̡̬͊͠!̷̣̘͋͘"

"What's this fuss about..?"

Harriet suddenly stirred, rising groggily from unconsciousness. His vision was still blurred, but he could make out the monster's desperate cries.

For some reason, he understood.

"Harriet, just in time!" Kafka offered him a hand, helping him stand.

The monster's voice cracked.

"Please... bring everyone back!! Alive!! Bring my time back!!"

Harriet stiffened. This was the first time he had seen a monster like this.

"They can talk?" he muttered, slowly approaching.

"Some can," Ezen admitted. "But usually, it's just noise."

"But... it was begging." Harriet frowned. "It wanted someone to bring its friends back to life."

Those words made Rangi's breath hitch.

Without hesitation, he chanted—

"Magical Bullet Number 7777."

The bullet fired—hitting the monster directly.

The shot struck the monster, and it screamed in agony. Its body flickered, distorting further as it began to disintegrate.

"This isn't over yet!!"

The monster's final words echoed—before it vanished into nothingness.

Harriet's gaze slowly drifted toward Rangi.

What was that..?

What kind of magic was that..?

The kind of magic that utterly destroyed the creature with a single bullet—was it at an atomic level? Harriet wasn't sure.

Seemingly, Ezen didn't mind. Meanwhile, Kafka didn't understand the weight of that spell.

"I felt that it was chanting some powerful spell, might as well end it."

Rangi reasoned as he looked at Harriet—straight into his eyes. His gaze was cold, shaken, yet stoic.

"Huh. A monster that was fully corrupted, yet never affected by the symptoms of corruption. It lacked the usual magical stones..."

Ezen mused from a distance, intrigued by the nature of such a creature.

He was curious.

"The Everwatchers..." Kafka muttered as she observed Ezen. "What are your goals?"

"Primarily, we vow to end the racism toward your kind," Ezen answered, his tone suddenly serious.

"We worship the Elven Hero. We aim to bring him back alive, but..." A smirk flickered across his lips. "If we can't, we aim to make you our Empress instead. After all, you are his closest incarnation."

Kafka clicked her tongue.

She was disgusted.

"Then what are you doing in this Dungeon?" Harriet cut in.

"Ah...about that." Ezen rubbed his chin in thought.

"I just want to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the Nascent Cataclysm."

"Is it for power?!" Harriet pressed, his fist clenching into a ball.

"No, that would be evil of me."

Ezen chuckled before finally dissolving into black smoke—this time, along with his subordinates.

What a bountiful investigation...