Midnight — Somewhere in a cave.

A group of people dressed in black robes gathered around a fireplace.

Three of them sat at equal distances around the flames,

a human skull placed at the center, chanting in a mysterious language.

The others stood behind them, watching the ritual with intense, focused eyes.

As time passed, the chanting grew faster, and the fire began to burn with an eerie blue flame.

One of the robed figures pulled out a tray filled with blood. 

He poured it into the fire and chanted, "The blood as the offering, your servant seeks advice from Lord Toror."

Another took out a plate of internal organs, added them to the fire, and chanted, "The organs as the offering, your servants seek advice from Lord Toror."

The flames shifted from pale blue to blood red. The blood and organs vanished, and a sinister energy filled the cave.

The masked men behind them knelt, heads bowed to the ground.

From above the fireplace, a red-skinned demon emerged

two black horns, two pairs of bat-like wings, flapping rapidly.

In a chilling tone, it spoke, "Haha… humans, I liked your sacrifice. Tell me, why have you summoned me?"

The third robed figure stepped forward, holding a plate with a bloody heart.

He offered it and said, "Lord Toror, we seek your guidance. Please help us locate a stronghold so we may continue preparing sacrifices."

Toror picked up the heart, bit into it with blood-stained teeth, devouring it in three bites.

With a foul stench lingering, he muttered something in demonic tongue, then spoke clearly:

"There is a settlement to the west. You will find sacrifices there. The undead will attack them tomorrow. Once they fall, offer them to me."

Toror was inwardly pleased. If all 500 villagers were sacrificed, his power would rise from Tier 2 to Tier 3.

Without another word, he vanished, returning to the demon realm.

The cult leader turned to his followers. "What settlement lies to the west?"

One replied, "Lord, it's the Green Fort."

The leader nodded. "Then we'll sacrifice those people. You may all disperse."

He began extinguishing the fire, while the others quietly left the cave.

A few minutes later, some cult members chatted among themselves.

"Did you feel Lord Toror's power? It was terrifying."

"Forget Lord Toror we've been chased by Royal Guards for weeks. I just want a good night's sleep."

"Indeed."

"This time, I hope they don't find any traces." 

"Who knows?" 

"But after sacrificing so many people, do you think we'll finally learn the magick we've been searching for?" 

"Hard to say. But I've heard the leader is a magician—and so are the two vice presidents." 

"Indeed. That potion the leader gave us boosted our strength to Tier 2 so easily. I'm curious what kind of reward we'll get this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the others around him began to breathe heavily, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

-----

Cotton Town — Inside an inn.

Six guards stood protectively around a single figure.

What stood out was that the entire guard unit was female, 

and the one leading them wore white robes, her head hidden beneath a hood.

In a sweet, composed tone, she said, "Melina, take everyone to rest. Tomorrow, we continue the chase."

Melina bowed slightly. "Yes, Lady Elina."

Elina stepped into her room and closed the door behind her. Her thoughts swirled.

"Let's hope I can finish this mission soon. I don't know how much longer I can keep chasing them."

"The task from the school has already taken me six months. But once I complete it, I'll earn rewards from both the Royal Palace and the Academy. This time, I'll finally redeem the Wizard Visualization Method."

She sighed. "Then I'll need to prepare the wizard potion too… That'll cost me another chunk of contribution points."

With that, she sat down cross-legged and began to meditate, her breathing steady, her mind sharpening for the trials ahead.

The next day.

Aaron woke up early and, after a quick breakfast, began supervising the villagers.

Even Rumba was working alongside his guards today, 

helping with final preparations.

Time passed quickly, and by evening, the village was already in motion.

Unlike previous days, dinner had been cooked early, and most people had already eaten.

At the same time, the Old Chief stood before the villagers, giving a stern lecture.

"Women and children will return to their tents. The men will climb the wooden walls and patrol tonight."

He paused, then added with gravity, "No matter what you see tonight, I hope you all remain fearless."

He had learned about the undead threat. The memory of a skeleton that wouldn't die until its head was pierced haunted him. He felt that tonight, they might face a new kind of enemy.

Of course, Lord Aaron had said the invasion wasn't guaranteed, only a possibility. That gave the Old Chief some relief. He hoped they wouldn't encounter the undead at all.

Night fell.

Torches were lit, casting flickering light across the village. 

The outer torches, placed beyond the wooden walls, were left unlit, awaiting Lord Aaron's command.

Guards patrolled the walls, bows and arrows in hand, their faces tense and alert.

Unlike other nights, the village was eerily quiet. Even the children were unusually well-behaved, sensing the seriousness in the air.

The youngest ones had already been fed and tucked into bed.

The moment Aaron saw the big red light on the map, his heart sank. Red dots were pouring out of it, fast, relentless, and multiplying.

His expression hardened.

"It's happening," he muttered.

Meanwhile, on the east wall, Rumba was patrolling when he witnessed something terrifying.

A red hole tore open in the air, and from it, skeleton soldiers began emerging one by one, clad in rusted armor, their hollow eyes glowing faintly.

Rumba's face turned pale. The guard beside him froze, equally stunned.

Then Rumba snapped out of it.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, "INTRUDERS!"

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