Chapter 4

I wave my uncle goodbye, still feeling awkward from the sudden hug I gave him yesterday. I shift my weight, fidgeting.

"Take care."

Bittersweet emotions flicker across his face.

"You take care too, Ris."

I begin to close the car window but catch his voice one last time.

"I'll always be here, okay?"

I give him a small smile, unsure of what to say, and drive off.

As the house disappears in my rearview mirror, that familiar, suffocating feeling starts to creep in. I crank up the music, trying to drown the emotions I never seem to know how to express. After a while, I stop at a small gas station—fill up, grab snacks, just trying to return to normal. That's when my phone buzzes.

[Incoming Call: Association Official]

Confused, I answer.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other side is laced with panic.

"T-the gate—we need you guys to raid it now! It's… the timer—!"

Behind him, chaos erupts on the other side. But I don't need him to finish.

"I'll be there."

Already sprinting to my car, I floor it, the engine roaring beneath me as I push it to its limits. I haven't driven this fast since I first got my license. I know what's coming.

Dungeon break.

By the time I arrive, the scene is chaos—reporters, barricades, flashing lights, and officials shouting to control the crowd.

"Everyone! Please stay back!"

"The dungeon's glowing red!"

"Is it going to break?"

I weave through the mess and reach the raid team.

"Sorry I'm late."

The captain briefs me quickly—we're short a healer, and the dungeon is due to break in less than four hours. Not nearly enough time for us to raid the dungeon.

"Do we have another healer?" I ask.

The Sword Saint grunts. "None above B-rank."

"What about a C-rank?"

They all look at me like I've lost my mind.

"Yes," someone finally says, hesitant. "But it won't be enough."

"We'll have to make it enough."

Everyone exchanges uneasy glances.

"…All right," the captain sighs. "We make do."

We're rushed into preparation. My nerves simmer. No matter how many dungeons I've entered, they never stop being terrifying and unpredictable. And starting on the wrong foot? That's asking for trouble.

The dungeon pulses like a heartbeat, glowing a violent crimson.

I step in following my teammates.

[Isle of the Wailing Deep]

>Welcome to the Isle of the Wailing Deep! Protect the pirates who've hired you on their journey to recover the lost riches of the Isle.

>Clear Conditions: Defend the ship until arrival.

>Failure Conditions: The ship sinks, or a pirate dies.

>Penalty upon failure: Dungeon break. Death of everyone inside.

>Reward upon completion: Riches of the Isle, Skill, ???

Time left: 3h 16m

The world warps, and I blink into a new reality—ocean spray stings my face, the sky is a bruised purple, and a massive pirate ship creaks beneath me the waves rock the boat making my footing unsteady.

"Oi! Ye worthless bilge rats—earn yer keep, will ya?! Mercenaries ain't paid t' stand 'round pickin' barnacles!" the pirate captain shouts.

Before we can reply, sharp, needle-like feathers rain down from the sky. We barely have enough time to defend from the ambush.

Above us, they circle—Skyrakes. Massive birds with hooked beaks and feathered wings that glint like metal, screeching as they dive, launching deadly quills.

[Skyrake]

B-rank

Bird-type monsters that shoot feathers and teeth like projectiles.

"TO POSITIONS!" our captain bellows.

"I'll take left flank!" the Sword Saint yells. His blade hums, a glowing blue arc slicing the air as he steps forward, deflecting incoming feathers mid-flight splitting them in half. I follow up, behind him, picking off any stray quills with smaller barriers and short-range bursts of wind magic.

"Nice timing!" he calls without looking. I grunt back, no time for compliments.

Then—

"Blasted sirens, they be at it again! Oi! Ye scurvy mercs—sirens off the bow! Plug yer ears 'fore they steal yer bloody minds!" the pirate captain roars.

My heart sinks. Sirens.

"Damn it," I hiss.

"We weren't prepared for sirens," the raid captain says, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I'll handle it," I offer.

"You need to conserve mana."

"She's right," the Sword Saint adds. "This is an ocean-type dungeon. Expect a kraken—or worse, a leviathan."

I grit my teeth.

"Then it'd be nice if we had another mage, wouldn't it?" the damage dealer says with a smirk.

I glare, tempted to shove him overboard.

"I can handle it."

The captain grabs my arm.

"Aeloria, don't risk the team over pride."

"With all due respect, this isn't pride. It's strategy."

I pull away and step to the edge of the ship.

"Let's think this through—!" the healer says, but I'm already casting.

The wind howls. Siren song begins to creep through the air honey-sweet, impossibly beautiful, but behind it is something wrong, something that claws at the back of your mind.

I raise my hand, the purple glow pulsing in sync with my heartbeat.

[Veil of the Drowned Silence]

A dome of shimmering purple light expands over the ship. The siren song cuts off muted like it's underwater. Now, only the crash of waves and shouted orders remain.

"Barrier's up! Focus on physical threats!" I shout.

With their song blocked, the sirens begin lashing out long, serpentine bodies coiling from the waves, their faces twisted into fanged smiles. The Skyrakes dive again, sharper and faster.

We fall into rhythm—deflect, strike, defend. My barrier hums, absorbing wave after wave of psychic assault.

But it's relentless. The sirens dive now, claws slashing across the hull. Skyrake quills pierce the sails. The team's exhaustion begins to show slower strikes, weaker shields.

"Aeloria! Right side!" someone yells.

I pivot—one of our members is frozen, staring wide-eyed as a Skyrake barrels toward him, talons ready. I lunge forward, slam into him, pushing him down, and throw up a barrier just in time.

CRACK!

The bird's beak rebounds off my shield with a shriek. The force knocks me backward.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LOSING FOCUS?!" I shout at him.

He trembles. I grab his face.

Slap.

"Wake up. You can't afford fear in a dungeon."

He blinks, then nods slowly. The fight's far from over but if we keep moving, keep holding together, we might just survive the Isle of the Wailing Deep