Elara's sigh came heavy, full of exasperation as she rubbed her temple and looked down at Thorne, still sprawled in the dirt like a fallen statue. "I apologize for Thorne's behavior," she said, lifting her gaze to Leo and Roxanne. "He's a womanizer. Harmless, mostly. Just deeply misguided."
Leo offered a casual shrug. "No harm done," he said, glancing at Roxanne, who gave a faint smile, still clearly bemused by the entire encounter.
Opening his inventory, Leo swiped through the long list of items with practiced flicks. He paused when he spotted one marked with a "new" tag, still glowing faintly. With a tap, the object shimmered into existence. A moment later, he caught it mid-air and held it out to Elara.
Her eyes widened the moment she saw the core. "You're giving us this?" she asked, voice tight with disbelief.
"It's not much use to me right now," Leo said plainly. "Consider it a loan. If we cross paths again, maybe you can return the favor."
Elara's lips parted, unsure. Her fingers hovered above the core, almost afraid to touch it. The glow from it flickered gently against her face, lighting the torn fabric on her gloves and the fatigue in her expression. "You really don't have to…"
"I know," Leo cut in, voice even. "But I am."
Klein stepped forward, bowing his head. "Thank you. This means more than you know. We're running on scraps. We failed the last bounty. And this quest, it was our last hope before returning empty-handed."
Elara nodded, eyes still on the core. "We fought that thing almost a week ago. Wounded, tired, and running low on supplies. It got away. We tracked it here through the forest after it attacked a bandit convoy. We were hoping it'd be weakened."
"Bandits?" Leo raised a brow.
Elara nodded. "Didn't feel right, ignoring screams like that even if it was scum getting what they deserved. But then we saw the sky. That… that slash in the clouds."
Her voice lowered in awe. "I thought it was divine punishment or something. And then we found you."
Leo gave a small, knowing grin, the memory of his own attack still fresh. Its power, its precision. "You were just late to the show."
Mini-bosses like the Infernal Black Os weren't just stronger. They drained supplies, broke morale, and in the wrong conditions, wiped entire parties. Adventuring wasn't a job; it was a gamble with death, and every edge mattered. That core was more than payment, it was survival.
Elara finally took it, her grip firm despite the tremble in her hand. "We owe you."
With a fluid motion that made Leo do a double take, she bent down and hoisted Thorne onto her shoulders like she was carrying a rolled-up blanket.
Leo blinked.
Klein chuckled quietly and adjusted his robes. "Let's go before he wakes up and embarrasses us again."
With grateful nods, the party left the clearing, fading into the trees. Leo stood still for a moment, watching them vanish, then exhaled.
"Well," he said, stretching slightly, "back to work."
He still had gathering quests to complete. Roots, herbs, a few elusive crystal-bloom mushrooms, and the forest felt less like a maze now. Maybe it was the high of victory, or the fact that he'd made unexpected allies, but there was a new energy in his steps.
Roxanne walked beside him, her Moonlight Dress brushing softly through the shrubs, almost silent. "You handled that well."
"I've been on both sides of a kill-steal," Leo replied with a smirk. "Felt right to toss the dice their way this time."
###
Far from the forest, the capital pulsed with tension.
In the grand hall of the royal palace, where sun streamed through tall stained-glass windows, the king sat at the head of a long table littered with maps, scrolls, and untouched cups of tea.
Strategists muttered. Generals argued. Nobles shifted nervously in their embroidered coats. But when the sliced sky appeared in the distance, everything ground to a halt.
The king looked up. His weathered face broke into a slow, amused grin. "There he goes again," he said quietly.
With deliberate care, he rolled a scroll and pressed a wax seal onto it. The name "Leo" was etched clearly into the document, alongside the words is hereby transferred to.
He handed it off to a figure in white robes who emerged silently from the shadows. The robed courier knelt low, accepted the scroll, and vanished a moment later with a gust of wind and the soft shimmer of teleportation magic.
The king rose and walked to the open balcony. Below, the courtyard buzzed with alarm. Soldiers barked orders, citizens murmured in rising fear.
With a regal wave, the king called for silence. His voice rang out, deep and commanding.
"Citizens. There is no need for alarm. What you witnessed today was not a disaster, but proof that our kingdom's next generation of adventurers is rising."
He paused, his lips twitching upward. "And with their return comes great change."
He laughed then, loud and abrupt, catching the crowd off guard. It echoed through the marble hall, not mad but unrestrained, like someone amused at the coming storm.
Behind him, the advisors exchanged uneasy glances.
###
Elsewhere, across the fractured corners of the world, the ripple of Leo's strike was being felt.
In the Valley of the World, a sage opened his eyes from meditation. His gaze was calm, but his heart was not. "The balance is shifting," he whispered, already moving toward his inner sanctum. "I must prepare."
In a wasteland of cracked earth and fire-scorched stone, a monstrous beast sniffed the air, letting out a snarl. "He's come," it growled. Its talons dug into the dirt as it rose. "I will taste his fear."
Far above, on the endless Wolf Plains, a knight in radiant armor halted her winged steed mid-flight. She looked toward the heavens, eyes narrow.
Her beast shifted beneath her, wings folding. Even it felt the tension.
And on a racing cloud that darted across the human kingdom like a streak of mischief, a demihuman with silver eyes twirled his staff lazily. His tail swayed in rhythm with his amused humming. "Looks like someone interesting finally showed up," he said, reclining with a grin. "Let's see if they're fun to play with."
He drummed his fingers on the edge of the staff. Somewhere, something wild sparked in his gaze.
The world was stirring. The echoes of one sword slash still danced in the sky.
And Leo, unaware of the doors he'd just opened, was still collecting mushrooms.