The wind whispered through the ruins, carrying the scent of age and decay. Ethan’s hand rested on the Twin Shadow fang draggers at his belt, his body tense. They weren’t C-Rank rookies anymore. They were B-Rank adventurers now. And yet, as he stared into the darkness of the Forgotten City… He didn’t feel stronger. He felt like he had just stepped into something much bigger than himself. Because if a team of experienced B-Rank adventurers had vanished here… Then their new rank wouldn’t mean anything. Not against what was waiting in the dark. Signs of a Struggle They moved cautiously, weaving through the overgrown streets. The stone beneath their feet was cracked and uneven, covered in a web of eerie symbols that pulsed faintly in the dim light. Weapons lay scattered in the dirt. Deep claw marks carved into walls. The faint scent of blood lingering in the air. Leah whispered, “This wasn’t a normal fight.” Ethan nodded. The attacks weren’t random. Something had hunted them. And from the looks of it— It had won.

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  Ethan closed his eyes, stretching his Perception outward. At first, there was nothing. Then— A faint, flickering presence. Weak. Fading. “…There,” he muttered, pointing toward a collapsed temple. Without another word, they moved. The Last Survivor Inside the ruins of the temple, the air was thick with the scent of death. Ethan found him near the altar. A man. Slumped against the stone, his armor torn, bloodied, and covered in dark veins. Leah rushed forward. She placed a hand over his chest, her magic flaring. [Healing Light – Activated.] The man jerked awake, gasping. His eyes snapped open. And Ethan’s stomach dropped. Because his left eye… It wasn’t normal. It was blackened, with a faint, swirling pattern inside— Like the sigil on Ethan’s chest. And then— The man spoke. “You… shouldn’t have come here.”