“Nenya, you’re ready?”

  Kruster’s voice was low and firm.

  Nenya nodded quietly.

  Heat gathered at her fingertips, and a flame bloomed.

  A red magic circle floated in the air, pulsing.

  A short, solid incantation slipped from her lips.

  “Ignition Burst.”

  BOOM!!

  A blast.

  The fireball released from her hand tore through the forest like a gale, and in the next instant, dropped into the middle of the goblin pack.

  “Kyaaaagh!!”

  Screams, flames, the sick stench of burning.

  The fire spread at once and swallowed several goblins.

  Bodies staggering—then collapsing.

  What remained were only blackened bone fragments.

  “All units, hold! Confirm remaining enemies!”

  Kruster shouted, raising his shield.

  Nenya panted, shaking the lingering heat from her fingertips.

  “Is it over···”

  Monero muttered between breaths—

  and Namia suddenly shouted,

  “Behind us! There are more goblins!”

  Six shadows burst out from the rear of the woods.

  A silent ambush, surging in.

  “I’ll take it!”

  Monero charged without hesitation, and drove a full-force punch into the lead goblin’s head.

  “Infight Blow!”

  WHAM!!

  “Kreeeek!”

  The goblin slammed into a tree and dropped limp.

  Monero lowered his stance at once, fists tightening again as the others rushed in.

  “Rynel!!”

  Before the shout even reached him, the response had already begun.

  Rynel had his eyes closed.

  Then, quietly—he opened them.

  Blue light swirled in both eyes.

  At that moment, loose stones, fallen leaves, and broken branches lifted into the air, as if rising on an unseen tide.

  Bwoong···

  An unnaturally silent levitation.

  As if time had paused, every scrap of debris gathered and condensed in midair.

  Rynel extended a hand.

  KRAK—!

  PAPAPAPAK!!

  Fragments hurled at the goblins tore through them and crushed them in an instant.

  No one had time to scream.

  All that remained were leaves smeared red.

  “Archer—one on that side!”

  Aira moved without stepping on the leaves.

  She rested her fingertips on the spirit stone and whispered softly.

  “Wind, cut.

  Wind Edge.”

  Fweee—!

  A thin, razor-sharp wind streaked through the forest.

  Before the goblin archer could loose an arrow, its neck was pierced clean through, and it crumpled to the ground.

  “For now, this side is···”

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  Aira let out a small breath.

  In that moment, Rynel added one last gesture.

  Three goblins still standing—

  as if yanked by an unnatural force—were snapped upward into the trees.

  Thud.

  Thud.

  Thud.

  Three impacts.

  Then silence.

  “···That was···”

  Midas frowned, muttering.

  “It’s magic, but··· it feels different.”

  The four of Silvermoon Shield stared at Rynel in silence.

  There had been no chant. No magic circle.

  And yet something had clearly manifested.

  Nenya spoke carefully.

  “That just now··· was that, maybe···”

  As if finishing her thought, Midas nodded slowly.

  “Telekinesis?”

  He looked at Rynel through his glasses, voice low.

  “An ancient art humans can’t use anymore.

  Too inefficient—abandoned, forgotten as a school of magic.”

  Namia swallowed.

  “And you just used that··· now?”

  “That’s impossible.”

  Nenya murmured, barely breathing.

  “I’ve only seen it in records.

  They say only the theory remains, and there haven’t been any modern cases of someone actually casting it···”

  Rynel simply steadied his breathing and turned his head.

  No explanation. No defense.

  His actions said everything.

  It was “magic.”

  But not in any way they understood—

  as if the essence itself belonged to something else entirely.

  And that magic, right now,

  was forging absolute silence at the center of the battlefield.

  For a moment—long enough to feel endless—stillness wrapped the forest.

  In that stillness, Aira narrowed her eyes and carefully read the currents around them.

  She frowned and whispered.

  “The wind feels like it’s being pulled inward.”

  She tightened her grip on the spirit stone and added,

  “Like someone inside is breathing in.”

  Monero blurted instinctively.

  “What is?”

  That was when—

  Namia, leading the way, suddenly raised a hand.

  “Wait.”

  Everyone stopped.

  She crouched and gently swept aside the leaves.

  Behind them lay a collapsed pile of rocks and shadow.

  One side wall looked strangely smooth, as if scraped clean by wind.

  “It’s an abandoned mine.”

  Namia said in a low voice.

  “The entrance is caved in, but it feels like there’s still space inside.”

  The moment he heard that, Rynel quietly closed his eyes.

  Then he sensed a current trembling—almost too fine to notice.

  “···There’s something in there.”

  With every breath in, there was pressure—

  as if something inside was drawing them in.

  The air was sinking, growing heavy.

  Aira held the spirit stone tight.

  Her body gave a small tremor.

  The wind’s flow broke.

  The spirit didn’t speak, but it was clearly wary.

  Kruster pressed his lips together and looked up at the sky, stained red.

  “···The sun’s going down.”

  The afterglow spread between the leaves.

  He exhaled shortly and turned back.

  “Going in like this is too much.

  We don’t know the layout, we don’t have visibility.

  And we just finished a fight.”

  His tone was firm,

  but the responsibility in it was unmistakable.

  Monero bared his teeth, twisting his mouth.

  “Was just about to have a proper round.

  Damn shame.”

  Namia glanced at him, then nodded quietly.

  “Pulling back is the right call.”

  She carefully peeled a strip of bark near the mine entrance.

  With her fingertip, she carved a small, discreet mark.

  Aira traced a spirit sigil over it and whispered softly.

  “Just a little··· I’ll keep watch.”

  The wind stirred faintly.

  The spirit responded.

  But the feeling was firm.

  It doesn’t want to go in.

  The current trembled like a thread.

  When the wind brushed her cheek, it carried an uneasy presence—

  like a young beast backing away from darkness right in front of it.

  Even the spirit was afraid

  of whatever was lurking inside.

  No one spoke.

  No one put that feeling into words.

  They only nodded,

  and turned their heavy steps away.

  As they left the forest behind,

  a single line of wind swept past them—soft, as if offering a quiet farewell.

  ◇

  The guild was still busy.

  After the sun had fully set,

  the corridors swelled with adventurers returning one by one,

  and the reception lights glittered brightly, like they were pushing back the night.

  Swords and armor, fatigue and relief—everything mixed in the air.

  Some were ending their day.

  Others were already preparing for the next job.

  Life went on.

  And so did adventure.

  Kruster took out a leather pouch for subjugation proof and set it on the counter.

  “Today’s tally.

  Goblin ears are in here.”

  The clerk opened the pouch with practiced hands.

  Inside were bundles of goblin ears, dried blood crusted onto them.

  In this world, it counted as proof.

  “Confirmed. Good work.”

  “This wasn’t a bad day.”

  Kruster said, turning to the group.

  “If you’re all alright, want to grab a meal together?”

  “Absolutely! I’m starving!”

  Monero threw a hand up, shouting.

  Aira snorted.

  “Yeah. I was so busy dealing with goblin stink, I didn’t even think about food.”

  They headed to a nearby restaurant together.

  Even late, it was warm inside, and light chatter drifted under the lamps.

  After they sat in a row and ordered,

  dishes began to arrive slowly.

  As tension drained away, faces softened one by one.

  Kruster raised his cup.

  “Alright. Good work today, everyone.

  Tomorrow, we go in and check the mine ourselves.”

  Not just Silvermoon Shield, but Rynel’s group nodded as well.

  “The entrance structure looked pretty deep.”

  “And if goblins are guarding it, it means they’re hiding something inside.”

  Namia added.

  “The spirit felt something similar.”

  Aira said.

  Namia nodded, thoughtful.

  “Either way, we need to be careful.”

  “We’ll handle the basic prep.”

  Midas said calmly.

  “Supplies, potions, magic tools—we’ve packed everything. We won’t be short.”

  “Veteran team, as expected.”

  Aira smiled, nodding.

  “If it were just us, we’d be stretching ourselves thin. This makes it a lot easier to move.”

  “Haha. Reliable, right?”

  Kruster laughed, lifting his cup slightly.

  Right then, Monero clenched his fist like he’d been waiting for it.

  “By the way!

  You saw my punch today, yeah? Sent him flying real nice!”

  As he bragged with a shrug, Aira snorted and tapped his bicep.

  “Yeah, yeah. I saw it.

  Sure. Very impressive punch.”

  “Hmhm··· feels like you’re mocking me.”

  Monero cleared his throat and looked away.

  “That punch, I’m telling you···

  Even Rynel wouldn’t take it and stay standing.”

  Aira rested her chin on her hand, unhurried.

  “Really?

  Then, Monero—could you take what Rynel threw today?

  Those rocks and sharp fragments··· and still stand up?”

  “Well, that’s··· ahem.”

  Monero avoided her eyes and gulped down some water.

  A small wave of laughter spread around the table.

  With the tension gone, the words grew lighter too.

  Rynel turned to Kruster.

  “Silvermoon Shield’s teamwork was impressive.

  In the fight, it looked like the four of you moved like one person.”

  Kruster smiled evenly.

  “We’ve been together for over a year.”

  He set his cup down and smiled.

  “It just syncs up.

  It was awkward at first··· but now, we can read each other’s moves with just a look.”

  Aira’s eyes brightened.

  “That’s awesome.

  Do you think we could··· be like that someday?”

  Her gaze went carefully to Rynel.

  Rynel looked at her in silence for a moment,

  then lifted his cup slightly.

  And nodded, slowly.

  After that, the conversation drifted into lighter, everyday talk.

  Then Nenya spoke, carefully.

  “Um··· can I ask one thing?”

  Everyone looked her way.

  “Rynel and Aira··· how many circles are you?”

  Aira tilted her head.

  “Us?”

  Nenya gave a small nod.

  “Uh··· I don’t really know.”

  Rynel answered.

  “I’ve never had anything like that officially tested.”

  “Same here.”

  Aira added.

  “I’ve never really bothered counting.

  I used to travel with someone before, and they said Rynel was probably around third circle.”

  Monero nodded.

  “I don’t know the details, but I can tell he’s strong.”

  Nenya lowered her head, lips moving so faintly they were almost invisible.

  “No. That’s··· there’s no way it’s third circle.”

  She dipped her head a little more.

  “Not just fourth···

  If I didn’t see it wrong, it might even be beyond fifth.”

  Her voice was so small, it was like no one heard it at all.

  “Hm? What did you just say, Nenya?”

  Aira narrowed her eyes, asking.

  Nenya flinched, startled.

  “N-no.

  I just··· I said I’m third circle too.”

  Aira blinked, then smiled.

  “Whoa. Then you’re really strong too, Nenya.”

  “I guess so.”

  Nenya replied in a voice that almost vanished.

  Her eyes were calm,

  but something was faintly hidden inside.

  Aira noticed it, but didn’t press.

  Rynel, too, lifted his cup without looking away.

  Then Kruster spoke as if to settle the mood.

  “Tomorrow is more important than today.

  Don’t overdo it. Prepare thoroughly.”

  Rynel nodded quietly.

  “Like today, let’s come back safe.

  And tomorrow··· let’s all have dinner together again.”

  “Yeah. Tomorrow too—together!”

  Aira raised her cup.

  Nenya finally let a small smile show.

  That night.

  A short, peaceful dinner drew them a little closer.

  Soft laughter and warm words under the lights.

  That alone was enough.

  What kind of day would tomorrow bring?

  No one could know.

  But at least for this moment,

  everything felt easy.

  An adventurer’s day ended like that—

  slowly, in the small breath of relief.