Chapter 3: The First Night of the Hunt

Under the dim, crescent moonlight, three figures in cloaks, wearing cold and emotionless silver masks, moved silently toward the Morgan ruins. There should have been more of them on the hunt, but since this was the territory of another guild, they couldn't act too conspicuously.

Upon arrival, they began to search for traces of their prey.

-Hey, are you sure about this? I've made a round, haven't seen a soul.

-It can't be wrong. The trail pointed this way.

-According to the intel, there are secret passages here. Let's split up and find them.

They quickly fanned out in three directions. A moment later, a whistle echoed from the east. The other two immediately converged on a large, almost completely collapsed house. In the basement, behind an old cabinet, they discovered a long, narrow opening.

-You open it.

-Why not you?

-I need to keep watch.

-You two bastards, you wanna die? Get out of my way!

The largest of the three growled, but despite his best efforts, the stone door seemed too old; he couldn't budge it alone.

-Ha, so weak!

-And he acts so tough.

-Shut up and lend a hand, unless you want the Head Collector to take all three of our heads for his collection!

The other two immediately fell silent. It seemed they were just rookies; trained, but lacking in real combat experience. The door only yielded with a gruesome creak when all three pushed together.

-Damn it, how long has this place been abandoned?

-Probably six, seven years.

-It's too dark.

-Light a torch and let's go down. Be careful, I heard a few "hounds" have been killed by talented prey before.

They descended cautiously, scanning their surroundings.

-Damn it, there's nothing but cobwebs!

-Focus, or else... AHHHH!

Thud!

One of them, talking as he walked, had tripped and fallen flat on his face. Looking back, he saw a tripwire stretched at ankle height.

-Pfft... Nice one, our leader! You just proved why we're all the same rank!

The fallen man scrambled up, his mask still impassive but his voice filled with irritation.

-Alright, there are traps. Now split up. You two go together, I'll go alone to make it easier to search.

Without waiting for a reply, he dashed down a passageway as if he had already picked his route.

"Right, the hunt is on."

The remaining two also ran off. Their speed was impressive. Not long after, they heard the sharp clang of metal on metal. They immediately pinpointed the location and rushed toward it. Halfway there, they heard the sound of metal piercing flesh, followed by a pained groan. They quickened their pace but kept getting caught in more tripwires, slowing them down considerably.

It took them five minutes to reach the source of the sound. Before them were only deep slash marks on the walls, a few small footprints, and a trail of blood leading deeper into the darkness...

-Looks like the fight's over.

-That arrogant bastard is dead?

-Not necessarily. Could be the kids' blood from when they ran.

-Let's follow the blood trail. Maybe we can give him a hand.

They cautiously followed the trail. The deeper they went, the sparser the bloodstains became, putting their nerves on edge. The final trace led to a dead-end room. Stepping inside, they saw nothing but a pool of blood in the center.

-Why does the blood trail stop here?

-I have a bad feeling about this...

Something wet and warm suddenly dripped onto the head of the man standing near the pool. He reached up to touch it.

"This is blood..."

He looked up and saw, to his horror, a cloaked corpse hanging upside down from the ceiling. The silver mask fell off, revealing the face of their comrade, twisted in agony, his eyes wide with disbelief.

-Damn it, it's a trap, get...!

Before he could finish, the only stone door slammed shut. The hanging corpse dropped, splattering into a grotesque pile of flesh and bone. At the same time, a fine black powder began to fall from the ceiling like snow. The two remaining men ducked, their torches were extinguished, and the room was plunged into absolute darkness.

-What the hell is this?

-This isn't poison... it's just coal dust!

-Damn it, why is it so thick?

-It's too dark, light a fire, let's get out of here!

-Alright, I've got it.

One of them took out a fire magic talisman. And just as he dripped blood on it to activate it...

Four hours earlier...

After Lyne had confirmed they could kill the "hounds," Kaega asked her a strange question:

-Lyne, is there a coal storage here?

-There's probably still some coal, but what for?

Looking at the map, only four houses at the center of the four cardinal directions had entrances to the maze. Each entrance had a small rest chamber. Kaega pointed to the map, smiling as he spoke to her:

-Take me there, and I'll tell you the plan.

When they reached the storage, it was filled with old charcoal. Kaega looked at it, his face growing more confident. Lyne didn't understand why. She acknowledged his intelligence but didn't think a weak, sickly person like him could survive until the Blood Feast. But for some reason, when he held out his hand, she had followed him unconsciously. His arrogant demeanor when he deliberately provoked the Head Collector, though puzzling, had a strange allure. It was the look of someone who was confident they knew the rules of the game.

-Can you help me crush this stuff?

-How much?

-Quite a lot. Two sacks for each of the rooms here, each sack must be full of coal powder. It needs to be done in two hours.

-Possible, but what's it for...?

-I'll explain after the plan succeeds.

With that, Kaega gathered as much rope as he could from the central room. Lyne, though suspicious of his strange actions, had no problem grinding the coal into powder.

"Let's see what he plans to do with this coal."

Two hours later, he returned, asking her to carry the sacks of coal to the designated rooms, tie them to the ceiling, and connect them with an intricate system of ropes.

"Too many tripwires, but they seem designed only to lure someone down a predetermined path."

-Lyne, can you handle a one-on-one fight with a "hound"?

-I can.

-If one comes tonight, stay at this location, fight and retreat. If there are more, run straight into the room, put out the torch, and get out as fast as you can. Then, close the door and keep running.

-What if I manage to kill one?

-Simple. Bring his corpse into the room and hang it up. Then you still have to run.

At this point, she still didn't understand his plan. Night fell. After a short rest, she heard the loud, grating sound of the secret door being pushed open.

-"Have to thank the decrepitude of these ruins. Alright, let's head east."

Not long after, she heard a stumble, then the hurried footsteps of three people. Stationed at the spot Kaega had designated, about half an hour later, a man with a longsword, radiating a thick killing intent, charged at her. He seemed to have lost control.

-YOU BRAT! YOU'RE THE ONE BEHIND THIS, AREN'T YOU?!

He attacked wildly, his slashes chaotic. Following instructions, Lyne quickly retreated but "accidentally" got caught in a tripwire set by Kaega himself.

-Damn...!

-HAHA! CAUGHT IN YOUR OWN TRAP? FOOL! NOW DIE WITH YOUR PILE OF TRAPS!

He swung his sword back, intending to cleave her in two.

"That bastard... he trapped me!"

CLANG!

A piercing metallic sound rang out. His blade had unintentionally struck a stalagmite protruding from the darkness. The force of the blow was reflected, sending the sword flying from his hand. While he was still stunned, Lyne, quick as a flash, stabbed him in the throat.

-Agh!

Blood spurted like a fountain from the horrified mask. Kaega immediately signaled, urging her to drag the corpse into the room before its comrades arrived. She gave him a look that could kill and quickly complied. Lyne dragged the body into the room, leaving a long trail of blood on the stone floor, hung the corpse up, and left. Immediately after, the other two entered.

-Is it done?

-You didn't say there would be a trap there.

-It was part of the plan.

-If this happens again, your neck will end up like his.

Lyne's eyes were filled with resentment, but she was still curious about the plan of the person before her.

-What's the point of all this, anyway?

Kaega said nothing, just looked at the sealed room and asked:

-Do you know about the news article on the mine collapse in North Aquila three years ago?

"Why is he bringing that up?"

-People assumed the explosion was caused by a dark mage. But to me, a dark mage would never target a worthless cave. The cause was much simpler.

Hearing this, Lyne suddenly realized.

-Don't tell me it was...?

-You've figured it out... it was coal dust.

As soon as he finished speaking...

BOOM!

A terrifying explosion erupted. The stone door of the room was blown away, and thick black smoke billowed out from within. One cloaked figure was thrown out, severely burned, while the one who had used the fire magic was instantly incinerated.

-I can't believe... they all died exactly according to your plan...

-Just luck. We ran into some fools tonight.

The lone survivor was dying. His body was severely burned, pus and blood oozing from the raw wounds. Every breath was an agony.

-Please... kill... me...

He groaned, begging for release.

-Karizanis... Kari... zani... s...

He whispered a strange name and then breathed his last.

Looking at the corpse, Lyne could see the horrific devastation caused by the coal dust explosion.

"One-on-one, I wouldn't lose, but it would be a tough fight. Against three, I would have had no chance."

Lyne had to piece together what had happened in just one hour since the hunt began.

"But from calculating how to enrage one of them, to the trap that intentionally created an opening, the staged fall, and the fateful slash against the stalagmite... He planned it all. He even trapped his only ally to achieve his goal..."

Thinking this, she looked at Kaega, who was still calmly observing the scene. There were no more ripples in her heart, replaced instead by a new awareness.

"This man... his mind is too dangerous. I have to be wary of him."