The room had grown unusually quiet.
Leo, Ray, and Chris sat silently on bed while the dim lantern hanging from the wooden wall swayed gently with the cold night breeze slipping through the half-open window. Outside, the once lively streets of Greyrock Town had finally begun to calm down. One by one, the lights inside distant buildings disappeared into darkness, and the cheerful noise of merchants and travelers faded away along with the night.
Only a few lanterns still burned across the town, their weak orange glow barely managing to illuminate the empty stone roads below.
The atmosphere felt heavy.
Inside the room, the same question continued circling through all three of their minds—the mysterious page.
No matter how much they tried to understand it, things only became more complicated.
Leo suddenly let out a frustrated sigh before speaking loudly.
"Why is everything becoming so complicated?" he complained while running a hand through his hair. "The more we move forward, the more difficult everything gets."
Ray looked toward him, about to say something in response, but before he could speak, Chris' attention suddenly shifted toward the other side of the room.
The elf girl.
Her fingers moved slightly against the blanket.
"She's awake," Chris said quietly while gesturing toward the bed.
The elf girl slowly opened her eyes.
For a few seconds, her blurry vision wandered around the unfamiliar room before she carefully sat up on the bed. Confusion immediately appeared across her pale face.
"W-Where am I…?" she asked weakly.
Then her eyes landed on Chris, Leo, and Ray.
The moment she saw the three unfamiliar boys staring at her, fear instantly appeared in her expression.
"T-Who are you people?" she asked nervously while pulling the blanket slightly closer to herself. "And where am I?"
Chris slowly stood up from the bed, making sure not to frighten her further.
"My name is Chris," he said calmly. "You don't need to be scared."
Then he glanced toward the others.
"This is Leo… and that's Ray."
The elf girl carefully looked toward them.
Ray's face remained calm and expressionless as usual, but Leo immediately gave her a cheerful smile and waved lightly.
"Hello," Leo said casually.
That simple greeting eased her nervousness slightly.
Chris walked a little closer before speaking again.
"Why were you unconscious on that road?" he asked. "And what's your name?"
The elf girl lowered her gaze toward the foot of the bed.
"My name is Anna," she answered softly.
Chris silently observed her appearance.
Her face looked pale and weak. It was obvious she had not eaten properly for several days. Her cheeks had become thinner from hunger, dark shadows rested beneath her tired eyes, and even her lips looked dry.
Seeing her condition, Chris quietly thought to himself,
She needs food first.
He looked back toward Anna before speaking in a gentler voice.
"You should rest for now."
Without wasting another second, Chris opened the room's wooden door and headed downstairs.
The room became quiet again.
Leo stared curiously at Anna for a moment before speaking.
"How did you even end up alone on such a dark road?"
Anna looked toward him and hesitated briefly.
"I… was thrown out from my workplace," she answered quietly.
Leo's expression changed slightly.
But before Anna could continue further, the room's door suddenly opened once again.
Chris returned carrying a wooden tray in his hands.
A bowl rested on top of it along with several warm rotis placed neatly beside it. Steam slowly rose from the bowl of paneer curry, filling the room with a rich aroma of spices.
Chris first placed the tray on the nearby table before carefully moving the table beside Anna's bed.
Then he smiled lightly.
"Eat first," he said. "You can tell us everything tomorrow. Right now, you need rest."
Anna stared silently at the food for a few seconds.
Then slowly, she picked up a small piece of roti and took a bite.
The moment the taste reached her mouth, her eyes widened slightly.
A few tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It's… really tasty," she whispered softly.
None of them spoke after that.
The room slowly fell into silence while Anna quietly ate her food.
Eventually, exhaustion finally overcame everyone.
Not long afterward, Anna had already fallen asleep on the bed. Leo and Ray were also sleeping peacefully on the beds nearby.
But Chris remained awake.
He sat quietly on the floor beside the door while staring toward the ticking clock hanging on the wall.
Tick.
Tick.
The room remained silent until finally—
3:00 AM.
Chris slowly stood up.
"Time," he muttered quietly.
He walked toward Leo and Ray before shaking them awake.
Leo groaned tiredly.
"What happened…?"
"We came here for something important," Chris replied calmly.
Ray also sat up while rubbing his eyes.
A few moments later, all three quietly left the resting room in a straight line, careful not to wake Anna.
Outside, Greyrock Town looked completely different compared to daytime.
The streets that were once crowded with merchants, travelers, and adventurers now stood almost completely empty. Cold wind moved through the narrow stone roads while old wooden signboards creaked softly above closed shops.
A few lanterns still burned near the corners of buildings, their weak flames flickering against the darkness.
The entire town felt strangely lifeless.
Even their footsteps echoed through the silent streets.
Ray looked around before speaking quietly.
"But where exactly are we going at this hour?"
Chris continued walking ahead without slowing down.
"We're going to handle something important."
The three continued moving through the sleeping town.
After several minutes, they finally stopped in front of a small blacksmith shop located near the edge of the street.
Unlike the other dark buildings nearby, a lantern was still hanging outside the shop's entrance, casting a faint orange glow across the wooden sign above the door.
The shop itself looked old.
Its walls were built from dark stone bricks blackened by years of smoke and heat. Metal scraps, broken weapons, and rusted armor pieces were stacked near the entrance. Even from outside, the smell of iron and burning coal could still be sensed in the air.
Chris stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door.
A few seconds later—
Creak.
The door slowly opened.
A dwarf stepped out from inside.
He was short but heavily built, with broad shoulders and muscular arms covered in burn scars and soot. Thick brown beard covered most of his face, and above one of his eyes rested an old cut mark stretching across his forehead.
His face alone looked permanently angry.
"What do you want?" the dwarf growled impatiently.
Without reacting, Chris calmly showed him his Sixth Division badge.
"I'm a captain from the Sixth Division."
The dwarf's eyes shifted carefully toward Leo first… then Ray… and finally Chris.
After a few seconds, he stepped aside.
"Come in."
The three entered the shop.
The inside looked even more impressive.
Weapons covered nearly every wall.
Long swords, katanas, battle axes, daggers, spears, and countless other weapons hung neatly across wooden racks illuminated by lantern light. Some blades looked polished and beautiful, while others carried visible battle scars.
Near the back of the shop stood a large forge where faint red embers still glowed beneath black coal. The smell of melted iron and hot steel filled the air heavily.
In the center of the room rested a sturdy wooden table surrounded by four chairs.
The dwarf pointed toward it.
"Sit."
After saying that, he disappeared into another room.
A few moments later, he returned carrying a small black box.
Without saying much, he placed it in front of Chris and opened it.
Inside the box rested several magical rings.
Each ring looked carefully crafted from shining gold and silver, with glowing gemstones embedded into them.
The dwarf sat down on a chair before pulling out a small alcohol bottle from his pocket and casually taking a drink.
"Take whatever you want," he muttered.
Chris looked toward the rings before glancing at Leo and Ray.
"Choose quickly," he said. "Which ones do you want?"
Leo blinked in confusion.
"For what?"
"For your protection."
Ray immediately looked back toward the rings.
"Then I'll take one for stamina… and another for increasing mana."
Leo looked at him with surprise.
"You decided that fast?"
Ray shrugged calmly.
Leo crossed his arms and thought for a few seconds.
"Then I'll take strength… and speed."
The dwarf leaned forward before pulling out four golden rings from the box. Each of them had a red ruby embedded into the center.
"Here."
Chris picked them up carefully.
"How much?"
The dwarf slowly placed the alcohol bottle back onto the table.
"Ten platinum coins."
The moment Leo and Ray heard the price, their eyes widened completely.
"WHAT?!"
"That's insanely expensive!"
But Chris simply reached into his back pocket and calmly placed ten platinum coins onto the table without hesitation.
The metallic sound echoed softly across the room.
"Let's go," Chris said casually.
Leo and Ray still looked shocked as they followed him outside the shop.
The cold night air greeted them once again as they began walking back through the empty streets of Greyrock Town.
After a while, Leo finally spoke.
"You really didn't need to buy all this."
Chris glanced toward him while continuing to walk.
"I'm only doing this for your protection. Understood?"
Leo stayed silent after that.
Soon, the three finally returned to their resting room.
Chris slowly opened the door—
And all three immediately froze.
Anna was gone.