Harlan was an ordinary city guard.
Or at least— he had been an ordinary city guard. That was until he quit. He had served nearly ten years working at Whiteridge’s walls. It was a safe job. Or at least, he thought it was safe. He had taken it up after quitting as an adventurer.
Adventuring was dangerous. The rewards weren’t worth the risk. That was why he quit, hanging up his guild badge to be an ordinary city guard. And it had been fine for years. His biggest fear was being conscripted into the army, but his post at the battlements was rather high priority, so he knew the city couldn’t just let go of him even if they wanted to.
So Harlan had been safe. He only had to worry if the war reached the western edges of the Astrad Kingdom. He highly doubted that that would happen. He was certain that the Kingdom of Kal would be repelled. Especially so soon after their war with Archon. But if the worst scenario arose, then the [Hero King] would have stuck to his past tactics— heading straight for the capital city of the nation.
There was no need for the Kingdom of Kal to conquer all territories of the Astrad Kingdom if Astral was taken over and King Jalen Astral was killed. That was how Kallistus Kal rose to prominence so quickly. His actions were the same in Archon against King Thorne. He wasted no time dealing with the minor nobility— this could be seen as far as back as when he was first summoned.
After the Morius Empire fell, he gathered those who survived to form a small rebellion against the Crathus Kingdom. Kallistus had no army. Just a small band of rebels. It took him years, but he eventually slew King Ivan Crather, bringing down the Elegant Palace of Crathe, to establish the Kingdom of Kal.
Knowing this, Harlan thought he was fine even if he continued working at the walls of Whiteridge. He was certain that no harm would befall the city, and his life as an ordinary city guard would remain unaffected. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Because when there were corpses, there were vultures. The Miststorm Riders got wind of the war, and they took this opportunity to strike the vulnerable Astrad Kingdom. They razed down entire villages, towns, and cities, until they eventually reached Whiteridge.
They stormed the city, bringing down its walls and slaughtering the guards. Harlan thought he was going to die that day. He was prepared to throw away his life to protect the citizens of Whiteridge. But… all at once, the thousands of [Bandits] burning down the streets of the city suddenly exploded.
It happened in an instant. First, the Miststorm Riders were empowered by a purple mist. Then they were dead. Their bloodied remains lined the cobbled ground. And the battle was over.
It had been over a week since. Harlan didn’t know what killed them that day. He just knew that the one responsible for defeating the [Bandit Boss]— Odell the Monster of the Mist himself— was a young woman who went by the name of Noele the Noble Spellsword. She was an adventurer. Harlan had never met her, but he already knew she was someone he only wished he could amount to.
Although… he did think her name was rather familiar.
But it didn’t matter. Harlan decided that he was done with fighting. He was no longer interested in being either an adventurer or a city guard. He was going to retire to one of the small farming villages surrounding Whiteridge.
Most of them had been badly damaged in the attack of the Miststorm Riders as well, and some had even been razed entirely to the ground. While Harlan wanted to help, he couldn’t afford to offer his labor for free right now. Not without a job. He barely had any savings since the cost of living was so high in cities.
Sure, what he had on him was more than enough to survive for a while in one of these villages. But he had to look out for himself first and foremost. So he sought out one of the few places that had been mostly unaffected by the Miststorm Riders.
Wolfwater.
Apparently, the [Bandits] were defeated right outside of the village before they could deal much damage. Harlan did wonder how they were defeated, but he didn’t bother questioning it now. He just knew that Wolfwater was safe, so his main focus was in finding a place to stay.
Or at least— he had thought Wolfwater was safe.
He strode down the gravel path leading into the village as [Farmers] passed him by. They eyed him curiously, and he just meekly nodded back at them. A little girl waved at him by the front porch of a house.
“Welcome to Wolfwater, sir!” she exclaimed.
He began to wave back. “Uh, hey—” he started.
And a powerful explosion ripped through the road. Harlan was sent flying back as a powerful shockwave toppled the nearby buildings. The little girl screamed as a wooden beam fell on top of her, while a plume of smoke rose to the sky.
Harlan staggered to his feet, panting with wide eyes. He swept his gaze around the village. Moments ago, he had seen a peaceful portrait of an ordinary day with the villagers going about their routines. But now, [Farmers] and their oxen lay bleeding across the burning gravel path. A few houses had collapsed from the blast, and the surrounding foliage was lit aflame.
He stared at this scene as he tried to work his jaw.
“W-what…?”
And from the curtain of smoke, dozens of figures strode forward. Dolls made from mud. Twisted creatures that took all kinds of shapes. Spiders, worms, people— they were stitched together from mismatched stone like sedimentary rocks.
“Those are— golems?” Harlan blinked a few times as he stood on trembling legs.
A giant spider golem lumbered forward, carrying a human on its back. A middle-aged woman. She wore a wide-brimmed hat as she raised a twisted staff into the air. Harlan recognized her immediately. She was—
“I am Zevya the Cloying Witch!” she exclaimed as she spread her arms wide. “And I am here to avenge Odell!”
—--
She was Zevya the Cloying Witch. A Level 58 [Golemweaver Enchantress]. For the last twenty years, she had lived a secluded life, never leaving her swamp. Her communications with the outside world were mostly carried out through some sort of medium— whether it be a magical projection or a raven delivering a letter.
Her reputation as a reclusive witch had attracted a handful of glory-seeking fools into her swamp. Mostly adventurers. And she dealt with them easily— her golems killed them long before they could reach her hut. But that was until a single encounter changed her life. A man single-handedly fought through her small army.
He reached her, before defeating her in battle. Zevya was aghast. She never thought she would lose to anyone who invaded her domain. But he did.
Because he was Odell the Monster of the Mist. And he had been empowered by the Void.
Zevya didn’t understand it at first. Why was he here? How did he gain the Void’s touch? But Odell explained it all to her. He told her he was a member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. He offered her an opportunity to attain power. True power. That which the World System never could grant her.
And his words charmed her. The fact that he had fought through her golems just to give her a chance to become even stronger made her… fall for him. She accepted his offer, joining the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, before being granted the Void’s power as well.
Zevya thought she was unstoppable. Especially together with Odell. But he had his own group, and she worked better alone. So they could never be together. Even still, the Cloying Witch was infatuated with the Monster of the Mist. She dreamt of a day they could eventually get together.
But now, Odell was dead.
When she heard the news, she couldn’t believe it. She had thought that her informants within the Sect of Abyssal Thorns were lying. It couldn’t be true— Odell was the Monster of the Mist! But it was reality.
Zevya hadn’t been dreaming. The man she loved was dead. And in her rage, she left her seclusion, seeking out the one responsible for killing him.
Noele the Noble Spellsword.
The blonde girl resided here, in this small farming village. It was called Wolfwater. Such an unassuming place. But it held an A-rank adventurer.
And Zevya was going to murder that bitch.
The Cloying Witch looked over Wolfwater. She stood atop Nyxi. Her most powerful spider golem. It was nearly ten feet tall, with legs that were twice as long as its height. Her other golems were smaller. Weaker. But they were enough to slaughter the [Farmers] living here in Wolfwater.
“Kill them all,” Zevya said as Nyxi carried her forward.
Her golems swarmed over the burning gravel path, and she dismissively turned away from the bodies beneath the giant spider’s feet. Zevya only had one goal. She didn’t care about these screaming and fleeing villagers. Killing them would bring her no pleasure.
“But it will draw out that fucking whore,” the Cloying Witch whispered, before raising her twisted staff. It glimmered with a purple glow as she searched the wreck from the previous explosion.
A little girl lay poking out of a collapsed house. She coughed, bleeding from the side of her head. Zevya’s eyes flickered, and she aimed her staff at the little girl.
“I’ll put you out of your misery—” she started.
But a rock flew at the Cloying Witch’s head. Zevya glanced towards the side, and a second rock struck her hat. She tilted her head curiously as a man stood at the very end of the gravel path. He carried a satchel at his side, dressed in a simple tunic. It was unlike the clothes worn here by the [Farmers]. Someone from the city?
“Y-you!” he screamed, tossing another rock at her. “Begone from this village, [Witch]!”
“Do you not know who I am?” Zevya said as he caught the third rock. She shook her head dismissively, barely giving him a passing glance. “Wretched fool. You have signed your death warrant. Perish.”
And she flicked a finger at him. She wouldn’t even bother to kill such a pathetic worm with her curses or hexes. Nor did she bother drawing out the Void’s magic to deal with him. It was a simple [Wind Slash]. A low level Skill.
The man’s eyes grew wide as he saw the attack coming. But even if it was a Skill fitting a Level 10 [Mage], Zevya was Level 58. Even her weakest Skills surpassed that of the strongest Skills of low-leveled individuals. The [Wind Slash] reached the man in an instant.
Then he vanished.
Zevya cocked her head. “Hm?”
She stared at the ground where the man had once been. But there was not a trace of him left. The Cloying Witch raised an amused brow as she looked down at the palm of her hand.
“Intriguing. I didn’t think the Void’s touch had empowered me so. Yet I have become so powerful, I can now obliterate a man with the flick of a finger.”
Shaking her head, she turned back to the little girl. Only to realize the little girl was gone too. Zevya blinked and looked down at herself.
“Did I do that? Wait—”
Her brows snapped together when she saw that the bodies littering the gravel path had vanished. And that was when Zevya heard the first crash. Her eyes darted to the side as a nearby worm golem exploded, shattered into tiny pieces.
“What is… going on?” she asked, but in response, another of her golems was destroyed.
A roach golem crumbled to rubble, and a human golem fell in two halves. And one by one, her golems collapsed. Like some kind of invisible force was taking them out. Or… something that was moving so fast, Zevya couldn’t even see it.
The Cloying Witch just gaped with wide eyes as golem after golem fell. She raised her hands, but then a figure landed before her. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized who it was.
“Thanks for the help, Amelia,” a blonde girl said, unsheathing a blade. “I’ll take care of the Cloying Witch.”
Zevya’s eyes just burned with rage. “You—”
She aimed her staff at the approaching figure. A powerful purple blast shot out as the Cloying Witch screamed.
“Noele the Noble Spellsword!”
And a second explosion rocked Wolfwater.
MelasD
START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here!
Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit!
Or follow me on twitter!
Harlan was an ordinary city guard.
Or at least— he had been an ordinary city guard. That was until he quit. He had served nearly ten years working at Whiteridge’s walls. It was a safe job. Or at least, he thought it was safe. He had taken it up after quitting as an adventurer.
Adventuring was dangerous. The rewards weren’t worth the risk. That was why he quit, hanging up his guild badge to be an ordinary city guard. And it had been fine for years. His biggest fear was being conscripted into the army, but his post at the battlements was rather high priority, so he knew the city couldn’t just let go of him even if they wanted to.
So Harlan had been safe. He only had to worry if the war reached the western edges of the Astrad Kingdom. He highly doubted that that would happen. He was certain that the Kingdom of Kal would be repelled. Especially so soon after their war with Archon. But if the worst scenario arose, then the [Hero King] would have stuck to his past tactics— heading straight for the capital city of the nation.
There was no need for the Kingdom of Kal to conquer all territories of the Astrad Kingdom if Astral was taken over and King Jalen Astral was killed. That was how Kallistus Kal rose to prominence so quickly. His actions were the same in Archon against King Thorne. He wasted no time dealing with the minor nobility— this could be seen as far as back as when he was first summoned.
After the Morius Empire fell, he gathered those who survived to form a small rebellion against the Crathus Kingdom. Kallistus had no army. Just a small band of rebels. It took him years, but he eventually slew King Ivan Crather, bringing down the Elegant Palace of Crathe, to establish the Kingdom of Kal.
Knowing this, Harlan thought he was fine even if he continued working at the walls of Whiteridge. He was certain that no harm would befall the city, and his life as an ordinary city guard would remain unaffected. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Because when there were corpses, there were vultures. The Miststorm Riders got wind of the war, and they took this opportunity to strike the vulnerable Astrad Kingdom. They razed down entire villages, towns, and cities, until they eventually reached Whiteridge.
They stormed the city, bringing down its walls and slaughtering the guards. Harlan thought he was going to die that day. He was prepared to throw away his life to protect the citizens of Whiteridge. But… all at once, the thousands of [Bandits] burning down the streets of the city suddenly exploded.
It happened in an instant. First, the Miststorm Riders were empowered by a purple mist. Then they were dead. Their bloodied remains lined the cobbled ground. And the battle was over.
It had been over a week since. Harlan didn’t know what killed them that day. He just knew that the one responsible for defeating the [Bandit Boss]— Odell the Monster of the Mist himself— was a young woman who went by the name of Noele the Noble Spellsword. She was an adventurer. Harlan had never met her, but he already knew she was someone he only wished he could amount to.
Although… he did think her name was rather familiar.
But it didn’t matter. Harlan decided that he was done with fighting. He was no longer interested in being either an adventurer or a city guard. He was going to retire to one of the small farming villages surrounding Whiteridge.
Most of them had been badly damaged in the attack of the Miststorm Riders as well, and some had even been razed entirely to the ground. While Harlan wanted to help, he couldn’t afford to offer his labor for free right now. Not without a job. He barely had any savings since the cost of living was so high in cities.
Sure, what he had on him was more than enough to survive for a while in one of these villages. But he had to look out for himself first and foremost. So he sought out one of the few places that had been mostly unaffected by the Miststorm Riders.
Wolfwater.
Apparently, the [Bandits] were defeated right outside of the village before they could deal much damage. Harlan did wonder how they were defeated, but he didn’t bother questioning it now. He just knew that Wolfwater was safe, so his main focus was in finding a place to stay.
Or at least— he had thought Wolfwater was safe.
He strode down the gravel path leading into the village as [Farmers] passed him by. They eyed him curiously, and he just meekly nodded back at them. A little girl waved at him by the front porch of a house.
“Welcome to Wolfwater, sir!” she exclaimed.
He began to wave back. “Uh, hey—” he started.
And a powerful explosion ripped through the road. Harlan was sent flying back as a powerful shockwave toppled the nearby buildings. The little girl screamed as a wooden beam fell on top of her, while a plume of smoke rose to the sky.
Harlan staggered to his feet, panting with wide eyes. He swept his gaze around the village. Moments ago, he had seen a peaceful portrait of an ordinary day with the villagers going about their routines. But now, [Farmers] and their oxen lay bleeding across the burning gravel path. A few houses had collapsed from the blast, and the surrounding foliage was lit aflame.
He stared at this scene as he tried to work his jaw.
“W-what…?”
And from the curtain of smoke, dozens of figures strode forward. Dolls made from mud. Twisted creatures that took all kinds of shapes. Spiders, worms, people— they were stitched together from mismatched stone like sedimentary rocks.
“Those are— golems?” Harlan blinked a few times as he stood on trembling legs.
A giant spider golem lumbered forward, carrying a human on its back. A middle-aged woman. She wore a wide-brimmed hat as she raised a twisted staff into the air. Harlan recognized her immediately. She was—
“I am Zevya the Cloying Witch!” she exclaimed as she spread her arms wide. “And I am here to avenge Odell!”
—--
She was Zevya the Cloying Witch. A Level 58 [Golemweaver Enchantress]. For the last twenty years, she had lived a secluded life, never leaving her swamp. Her communications with the outside world were mostly carried out through some sort of medium— whether it be a magical projection or a raven delivering a letter.
Her reputation as a reclusive witch had attracted a handful of glory-seeking fools into her swamp. Mostly adventurers. And she dealt with them easily— her golems killed them long before they could reach her hut. But that was until a single encounter changed her life. A man single-handedly fought through her small army.
He reached her, before defeating her in battle. Zevya was aghast. She never thought she would lose to anyone who invaded her domain. But he did.
Because he was Odell the Monster of the Mist. And he had been empowered by the Void.
Zevya didn’t understand it at first. Why was he here? How did he gain the Void’s touch? But Odell explained it all to her. He told her he was a member of the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. He offered her an opportunity to attain power. True power. That which the World System never could grant her.
And his words charmed her. The fact that he had fought through her golems just to give her a chance to become even stronger made her… fall for him. She accepted his offer, joining the Sect of Abyssal Thorns, before being granted the Void’s power as well.
Zevya thought she was unstoppable. Especially together with Odell. But he had his own group, and she worked better alone. So they could never be together. Even still, the Cloying Witch was infatuated with the Monster of the Mist. She dreamt of a day they could eventually get together.
But now, Odell was dead.
When she heard the news, she couldn’t believe it. She had thought that her informants within the Sect of Abyssal Thorns were lying. It couldn’t be true— Odell was the Monster of the Mist! But it was reality.
Zevya hadn’t been dreaming. The man she loved was dead. And in her rage, she left her seclusion, seeking out the one responsible for killing him.
Noele the Noble Spellsword.
The blonde girl resided here, in this small farming village. It was called Wolfwater. Such an unassuming place. But it held an A-rank adventurer.
And Zevya was going to murder that bitch.
The Cloying Witch looked over Wolfwater. She stood atop Nyxi. Her most powerful spider golem. It was nearly ten feet tall, with legs that were twice as long as its height. Her other golems were smaller. Weaker. But they were enough to slaughter the [Farmers] living here in Wolfwater.
“Kill them all,” Zevya said as Nyxi carried her forward.
Her golems swarmed over the burning gravel path, and she dismissively turned away from the bodies beneath the giant spider’s feet. Zevya only had one goal. She didn’t care about these screaming and fleeing villagers. Killing them would bring her no pleasure.
“But it will draw out that fucking whore,” the Cloying Witch whispered, before raising her twisted staff. It glimmered with a purple glow as she searched the wreck from the previous explosion.
A little girl lay poking out of a collapsed house. She coughed, bleeding from the side of her head. Zevya’s eyes flickered, and she aimed her staff at the little girl.
“I’ll put you out of your misery—” she started.
But a rock flew at the Cloying Witch’s head. Zevya glanced towards the side, and a second rock struck her hat. She tilted her head curiously as a man stood at the very end of the gravel path. He carried a satchel at his side, dressed in a simple tunic. It was unlike the clothes worn here by the [Farmers]. Someone from the city?
“Y-you!” he screamed, tossing another rock at her. “Begone from this village, [Witch]!”
“Do you not know who I am?” Zevya said as he caught the third rock. She shook her head dismissively, barely giving him a passing glance. “Wretched fool. You have signed your death warrant. Perish.”
And she flicked a finger at him. She wouldn’t even bother to kill such a pathetic worm with her curses or hexes. Nor did she bother drawing out the Void’s magic to deal with him. It was a simple [Wind Slash]. A low level Skill.
The man’s eyes grew wide as he saw the attack coming. But even if it was a Skill fitting a Level 10 [Mage], Zevya was Level 58. Even her weakest Skills surpassed that of the strongest Skills of low-leveled individuals. The [Wind Slash] reached the man in an instant.
Then he vanished.
Zevya cocked her head. “Hm?”
She stared at the ground where the man had once been. But there was not a trace of him left. The Cloying Witch raised an amused brow as she looked down at the palm of her hand.
“Intriguing. I didn’t think the Void’s touch had empowered me so. Yet I have become so powerful, I can now obliterate a man with the flick of a finger.”
Shaking her head, she turned back to the little girl. Only to realize the little girl was gone too. Zevya blinked and looked down at herself.
“Did I do that? Wait—”
Her brows snapped together when she saw that the bodies littering the gravel path had vanished. And that was when Zevya heard the first crash. Her eyes darted to the side as a nearby worm golem exploded, shattered into tiny pieces.
“What is… going on?” she asked, but in response, another of her golems was destroyed.
A roach golem crumbled to rubble, and a human golem fell in two halves. And one by one, her golems collapsed. Like some kind of invisible force was taking them out. Or… something that was moving so fast, Zevya couldn’t even see it.
The Cloying Witch just gaped with wide eyes as golem after golem fell. She raised her hands, but then a figure landed before her. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized who it was.
“Thanks for the help, Amelia,” a blonde girl said, unsheathing a blade. “I’ll take care of the Cloying Witch.”
Zevya’s eyes just burned with rage. “You—”
She aimed her staff at the approaching figure. A powerful purple blast shot out as the Cloying Witch screamed.
“Noele the Noble Spellsword!”
And a second explosion rocked Wolfwater.
MelasD
START OF THE NEW MONTH! You can read up to 15 chapters ahead on my patreon here!
Join my discord and subscribe to my subreddit!
Or follow me on twitter!
