Inside the Command Building
The lamp hanging from the ceiling swayed slightly, casting uneven shadows across the old wood and worn stone walls. A map of the surrounding area was spread on the table, marked with pins and scribbled notes. Hairu stood at the center, listening intently as Natsuro gave a quick overview.
"We lost more players during the last wave—down to 364 out of 500," Natsuro said, his voice calm but edged with concern.
"Still manageable," Hairu muttered. "But the orc wave is coming. We have two days at best. We need to keep rotations tight."
Tyuri stepped forward, arms folded. "My squad can cover the east for tonight. We need to give the other teams rest. They've been falling apart."
Aiko and Nori stood just behind him—silent and sharp-eyed, their presence quiet but steady.
Rin stood near the corner of the room, leaning against the wall, not speaking—just watching.
He wasn't looking at the map. His eyes were focused on something—or someone—else.
In the far corner of the room, cloaked in shadows that seemed deeper than they should be, stood a man.
Silver mask. Unmoving.
Rin's breath caught for a moment.
The man wasn't there a second ago.
And none of the others seemed to notice him. Hairu kept talking. Natsuro flipped through a few notes. Tyuri adjusted a pin on the map.
But Rin watched. He knew what he was seeing.
The man in the mask tilted his head slightly, not saying a word, offering no movement other than a subtle shift—as if acknowledging Rin's gaze.
Then, like a shadow melting into darkness, he vanished—no sound, no flash, just gone.
Rin looked back at the others.
No one noticed. Or if they did, they said nothing.
He exhaled, slow and quiet.
So, you're still watching me, huh?
The masked man's sudden disappearance lingered in Rin's mind like a chill, but he pushed it aside for now. The meeting continued—strategies, rotations, medical supplies—but Rin's patience ran thin.
He stepped away from the wall, arms loosely crossed.
"I assume you've all heard the rumors," he said casually, his voice cutting into the discussion.
Hairu glanced at him. "Rumors?"
Rin let out a soft breath. "About a new system mission. Hero… and villain. It's everywhere now."
Tyuri raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I've heard people whispering it around the supply post. Some say the villain has horns and red eyes. Others think the hero glows at night."
Aiko actually snorted at that, her first audible reaction in a while. Nori just shook her head.
"It's getting more exaggerated every day," Rin continued, his tone even. "Last night someone said the villain can summon monsters. This morning, the same person claimed he walks with a shadow that talks."
Hairu stayed silent, watching Rin closely.
Rin shrugged. "I don't know if it's true. But the system doesn't mess around with fake alerts. There is a quest. I got the notification. Something big is coming. Whether it's real or not, people believe it—and that belief alone is already changing things."
Natsuro leaned forward, tapping the table. "If players start acting on those rumors, it could cause a breakdown in coordination. Distrust spreads faster than goblins."
Tyuri nodded. "Some players are already looking at each other funny. People are trying to guess who the hero and villain are like it's a game."
Rin didn't respond right away. He looked around the room, eyes resting on each person for a heartbeat.
Then, he said one thing.
"And what happens if they guess right?"
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Hairu narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't speak.
Tyuri broke the silence first. "We'll make sure the squad doesn't fall for gossip. Focus on survival first. That's the mission."
Rin gave him a small nod.
And yet, as he returned to his corner, he felt it again.
That chill.
The weight of eyes still watching from the shadows—whether present or not.
Hairu stepped out of the command building, the wooden door swinging shut behind him with a soft thud. The sunlight hit his face, and he squinted at the bright sky, taking a deep breath.
Then—
Whoosh!
A flash of steel flew straight at him.
Hairu reacted instantly, deflecting the incoming knife with a twist of his wrist. It clattered to the ground, bouncing once before skidding into the dirt.
"What the hell?!" Natsuro shouted, rushing out after him.
Tyuri darted forward, crouching to examine the blade. "Wait... this isn't just a regular knife."
He sniffed it carefully, his expression hardening. "Poisoned. Someone meant to harm someone."
The people outside froze. Murmurs began to stir.
Tyuri's voice dropped low, filled with suspicion. "Maybe this has something to do with that mission we heard rumors about — the one involving a hero and a villain. I don't know the details yet, but this looks like the start of it."
Inside the building, Rin stepped to the doorway casually, hands in his pockets. His eyes weren't on the blade—or Hairu.
He was staring at the fleeing figure at the edge of the crowd.
A flash of pale green hair. A familiar face. Kusahi.
One of the three village healers.
So it was him, Rin thought. Kusahi… interesting choice.
But Rin didn't speak up. He simply narrowed his eyes, then put on a neutral expression as he approached Hairu.
"You alright?" he asked.
Hairu nodded, still looking around sharply. "Did you see who threw it?"
Rin paused. Then shook his head.
"No. Just saw a shadow. Could've been anyone."
He shrugged slightly. "This place gets more dangerous every day, huh?"
Hairu narrowed his eyes at Rin for a brief second—almost like he was trying to read him—before turning back to Tyuri.
"Any idea where it came from?"
"No clear line of sight. Could've been thrown from between those tents," Tyuri replied, standing up.
The moment was tense, but Rin kept his composure, even a small smirk hiding at the corner of his mouth.
He glanced back at the crowd, now dispersing, then at the medbay tent.
Kusahi, he thought again. One of the three healers. That makes things… interesting. But unless it threatens me, let them play their little games.
He slipped his hands back into his coat and followed behind the group—silent, composed, and watching.