"What do you think you're doing?" Maria demanded, her tone firm.
"Like I said, I'm going to—"
"You're going to follow orders," she cut him off sharply. "I'm the party leader, and—"
"Then I'm leaving," Jan interrupted, his voice resolute.
[Do you want to leave Maria's Party?]
[Yes] [No]
"H-Hey, what do you mean, 'leaving'?" Maria's voice wavered with a mix of surprise and fear.
"I mean it. If you're not coming, I'm going alone. I'm not letting that library be destroyed."
"It's just an old building filled with dusty books no one cares about, and—"
"Old filthy books?" Jan echoed, his eyes narrowing.
[Yes (Selected)] [No]
[You have left the party.]
With that, Jan made his decision and turned away, marching toward the monster—only to be stopped by a sharp tug on his shoulder. It was Sophia, her voice loud and commanding.
"Hey!"
"Let go of me!" Jan snapped, spinning around. But before he could say more, he caught sight of Maria, the once confident leader, standing there with her face red and eyes brimming with tears.
"Y-you don't have to be so mean…" She mumbled, and then, unable to hold back any longer, she burst into sobs. "M-Muwahhh..."
Jan froze, his frustration melting into regret as he watched her cry. He extended his hand helplessly. "I-I didn't mean..."
"See?! Now you made her cry, you idiot," Sophia scolded, letting him go and storming back to comfort her sister.
She gently patted Maria's head as the latter continued to sob, wiping her tears with her sleeve. "I-I thought I was doing okay... I-I'm the party leader… He should respect that…"
"Calm down, Maria. It's alright, just breathe," Sophia answered gently, still patting her sister's head.
Jan approached them slowly, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Maria."
The sobbing halted for a moment, and Maria, still hiccuping, looked up. "B-But you were so measniffles Muwahhh…"
"I know, but... you insulted the books! That was too much! And there's... the big guy!" Flustered, Jan stammered, desperate to say anything that might make Maria stop crying.
"Wuaaaaaa... sniff What?!" Maria paused, puzzled, her crying momentarily halted.
"Big guy? What are you talking about?" Sophia asked, equally confused.
"The librarian!" Jan said urgently.
"He's still there?!" Sophia turned to Maria, concern crossing her face.
"But... I swear I didn't sense anyone when I scanned the area," Maria muttered, wiping her eyes.
"I think you missed him, Maria. I'm certain—he's still there," Jan replied firmly.
The sisters exchanged silent glances for a moment.
"Sniff Are you sure you're not just saying this to make us help you save the library?" Maria asked, her voice softening.
"N-No, of course not!"
"Sniff And... are you really sorry?" Maria pressed, her teary eyes locking onto him.
"Yes, I am," Jan admitted, lowering his head in remorse.
"Then I forgive you!" Maria's face brightened with a sudden smile, and she looked at Sophia. "Come on, I know you want to fight that monster too."
"Hehehe, let's do it," Sophia smirked, unsheathing her sword.
With the issues finally settled, the three turned their attention to the massive brute in the distance.
It was still far from the library, but relentlessly demolished everything in its path, bringing down buildings with ease.
Now, with nothing obstructing its path, its next target was clear—the library itself.
'If we don't stop it, part of this world's history will be lost forever... and the librarian too,' Jan thought, tightening his grip on his sword.
"What's the plan?" Maria asked, her voice steady again.
"Hit and run," Sophia replied confidently.
"With how bulky and slow that thing is, that's probably our best shot," Maria agreed. "But it won't be easy."
"I know," Sophia said, her gaze fixed on the monster. "But we'll figure it out as we go."
Maria glanced back at Jan, who nodded in silent agreement.
With that, the three of them began their approach toward the towering monster, moving slowly and cautiously to avoid detection.
They crept from one wall to the next, slipping through the ruins, using the debris as cover.
Unaware of them, the massive creature loomed ahead.
[Dreadmire Brute LV???]
The brute stood at least four meters tall and nearly three meters wide, its massive form shifting slowly with grim intent.
Every thunderous step sent tremors through the earth, shaking dust loose from the rooftop to drift onto Jan’s head.
Once close enough, the group split into positions. Jan and Sophia flanked the monster, hiding on opposite sides just a little distance away, while Maria remained behind, keeping her eyes on both of them.
Sophia suddenly raised her hand, signaling the moment to strike. In perfect sync, she and Jan burst from their positions, their blades gleaming with light as they targeted the creature's legs.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
[-80] [-20]
[Holy Light!]
"Keep going!" Sophia roared.
The slashes landed cleanly, but the brute did not seem to notice, continuing its slow march of doom as if the blows were nothing. Undeterred, Jan and Sophia unleashed a flurry of strikes, their blades slicing relentlessly into the creature's thick, swampy legs.
[-70] [-25] [-50] [-10] [-60] [-30] [-90] [-15] [-100] [-20]...
Amid the barrage, Jan snuck a glance at the monster's health bar. It had barely budged.
‘Wait what is that?!’
Before he could confirm, the brute stopped in its tracks. With a deafening roar, it swung its massive arms back at them.
"Fall back!!" Maria shouted.
"ROAAAAARRRR!!!!!"
The force of the attack sent a gust of wind ripping through the air, but thanks to Maria's warning, Jan and Sophia had already leaped out of harm's way.
"What a tough bastard," Sophia muttered, catching her breath.
Jan's eyes narrowed as he recalled the moment just before the brute's attack. He’d seen something—just a glimmer—at the top of its head. Almost like the creature had eyes in the back of its skull, watching them.
But there was no time to dwell on it. The brute tore a chunk of mud from its own body and flung it straight at him.
The massive projectile came speeding toward him. Jan threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding impact.
Puff—
"Are you okay?!" Maria called out, her voice urgent.
Jan glanced at the impact site, the chunk leaving a deep crater where it had struck.
He exhaled in relief, readying himself to stand up again. But to his shock, the projectile suddenly burst into a cloud of toxic fumes, sending noxious gas spreading quickly toward him.
A sharp tingling filled his nose, and he instinctively covered his mouth and nose with his arm.
[You have been poisoned!]
[Health will be reduced by 2% every 1 second!]
"What is that?!" Maria shouted.
"It's poison!" Jan replied, his eyes stinging as they turned red from the fumes.
"Tsk, this is really pissing me off! Maria, help him. I'll handle this one!" Sophia snapped, already moving back into position.
"Got it!"
[Purify!]
[You have been purified. You are no longer poisoned!]
Maria quickly reached Jan's side, her face etched with concern. "Are you okay?!"
"Y-Yeah, sorry for being so carel—"
Whoosh— Whoosh—
The sound of Sophia's flaming blade slicing through the air cut him off, and Jan's head snapped back toward the fight.
Sophia, her sword ablaze, charged at the brute with incredible speed. The creature immediately began launching chunks of its muddy mass at her. She dodged the first two projectiles with ease, then the third, keeping her momentum as she closed in.
But as the fourth chunk hurtled toward her, Sophia planted her feet and shouted, "Enough!"
She prepared to slice the projectile in half with a swift swing of her ignited blade, but Jan's voice rang out desperately.
"No! Don't cut it!"
His voice was filled with urgency, but to Sophia, his warning seemed absurd.
[Protective Shield!]
Whoosh— Boom—
Even though Maria was quick with her shield, the force of the explosion shattered it, sending Sophia hurtling back through the air. She twisted mid-flight, flailing helplessly toward the rubble—until Jan leaped forward, catching her mid-air and cradling her protectively, preventing her from hitting the ground.
"AUGH! W-What?!"
When she opened her eyes a moment later, she found herself in Jan's arms. Confusion and embarrassment flooded her face.
"Maria! Hurry, she's hurt!" Jan called out, still holding her close.
"Hey! Let go of me!" Sophia snapped, trying to wriggle free, but a wave of dizziness made her falter.
"Stop moving! You're seriously injured!"
"I am not!"
"Why is everything a fight with you?! Look at yourself! Your left side is burned, your eyes are bloodshot—you've clearly been poisoned!" Jan said, his frustration boiling over.
Sophia fell silent, biting back her pride. If not for the protective shield, her injuries would’ve been far worse. The toxic flames had scorched the upper left side of her body, leaving her once-clear skin raw, red, and blistered. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth—not from the cut, but from deeper within, where the shockwave had torn something loose.
"This happened because you ignored my warning! I told you not to cut it, and now your face—"
"I'm sorry."
"…What did you just say?" Jan stammered, shock clear on his face.
Even Maria, who had been rushing over with worry for her sister, froze in place, her mouth dropping open.
"I said I'm sorry, alright? You were right—I should have listened," Sophia muttered, her tone softer than he'd ever heard.
"Maria, hurry! I think she's hit her head!" Jan exclaimed.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Sophia retorted, frustration flaring even as she tried to maintain her composure.
Maria couldn’t help but chuckle. She quickly knelt beside her sister, who shoved Jan away in irritation—though her strength was clearly fading.
"Just hold still, Sophia. You'll be fine. Let me heal you," Maria said gently.
[Purify!] [Healing!]
A soothing green light enveloped Sophia as Maria pressed her hands against her sister's injured side. Slowly, Sophia's burns began to fade, her usual clear skin reappearing beneath the healing glow.
Seeing that the healing was working, a wave of relief washed over Jan. He quickly turned his attention back to the brute, as Maria's spell seemed to be taking longer than usual.
What he found was a grim sort of luck. The brute had ignored them entirely, not taking advantage of their distraction to launch another attack—but that only meant it was still marching straight for the Library. And now, it was closer than ever—just a hundred meters away.
From the start, it was clearly the creature's primary target—everything else in its path, including Jan's party, was nothing more than a distraction.
"Guys, I'm going ahead," Jan called out as he sprinted toward the monster.
"Don't you dare attack without me!" Sophia shouted, her voice strained as she lay in Maria's care.
"Don't worry about me!" Jan replied, not slowing down.
"Who said I was worried about you..." she muttered under her breath in frustration.
Maria shot her a sharp look, "Stay still!"
"Sorry…"
Meanwhile, Jan pushed forward with all his might, and in what felt like mere seconds, he had caught up with the brute.
The realization of how much faster he'd become flashed through his mind, but there was no time for such thoughts—his focus was on stopping the brute.
'But first…'
He ducked behind a nearby barrel, scooped up a rock, and hurled it to the creature's left. The monster didn't stop its advance, but those two faint, glowing lights appeared again on the back of its head, flickering as if examining the rock.
A smirk tugged at Jan's lips.
'Got you.'
[Intelligence increased by 1 point (+1 INT)]
[Intelligence increased by 1 point (+1 INT)]
[Intelligence increased by 1 point (+1 INT)]