Saint Haven — the peaceful capital of the realm.
Inside a guild called Holy, a petite young warrior with round glasses was hunched over her workbench, busy assembling a small mechanical duck. Her fingers moved fast, tightening screws between the rows of nearly identical robot ducks.
BRAAAK!
The door slammed open violently. A tall, beautiful elf with long golden hair stormed inside, a fine bow and a quiver of ornate arrows strapped across her back.
"EVE! Do you know Hara went to the Lizard Hell?" she shouted.
"What?! He didn't take me with him?"
Eve paused mid-assembly, her eyes wide behind her glasses. She stood up, disbelief washing over her face as she grabbed tools from the rack beside her.
"Well, no wonder he didn't take you. You said yesterday you were busy working on your new robot, remember? But he didn't take me either! And seriously—who's the best sniper in Saint Haven if not me?" the elf said with clear frustration and pride.
Eve let out a small wince, then returned to her robots. These weren't ordinary toys — they were secret weapons. A single misstep and the entire guild house could explode. Her small hands moved with precision, tightening each screw with utmost care.
"…And guess what," the elf continued. "He went with only Roine."
Eve froze.
"He what?" Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"That's what I said! Fighting Hell Lizards is hard even for six-person teams. And he's going in with just Roine? Hara might be powerful, but Roine?"
The elf sighed and walked over to a chair by the window. She set down her weapons and slumped onto the seat, crossing her arms.
Eve remained still for a moment. Then she moved — quickly packing her gear. She reached for a massive cannon nearly half her height, loading it with robot ducks and other gadgets.
"Star, I'm going there," Eve said without hesitation, scanning through her remaining equipment.
"Eve, you know that portal only opens once. We can't just follow them in."
Starsha crossed her arms. "All we can do now is wait near the exit point."
She turned her eyes toward the window. After a long moment, she stood and grabbed her weapons again.
"Let's go. I don't want to wait in this building doing nothing," she muttered, striding toward the door. Eve followed behind, adjusting her glasses.
At the front gate of the guild, a tall warrior was already waiting. A massive greatsword rested across his back. His name was Exsodia, Guildmaster of Holy. His yellow hair swayed gently in the breeze as he called out to the two girls.
"Where are you going? As far as I know, neither of you has a mission."
Starsha stepped forward and answered firmly,
"We're about to witness a legendary battle. Two fighters against three Hell Lizards."
Exsodia laughed loudly. "Hahahaha! What kind of nonsense are you saying?"
"That nonsense involves your vice-guildmaster, Hara. And the new recruit he's dragging along to test his limits and ego," Eve replied, her tone flat and serious.
"HARA? And… the new kid? Roine? Are you serious?" Exsodia's face shifted into mild panic. "He told me yesterday he wanted to go with just the two of us. I thought he was joking—though now I realize, Hara never jokes."
"And he should've asked me to come," Starsha chimed in. "I am the highest DPS in this guild. 100% accuracy!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Exsodia muttered.
Then his tone turned sharp. "Wait. You're planning to follow them? You know the portal only opens once, right? Once they enter, no one else can go after them. You'll just stand around wasting time."
Eve's eyes didn't flinch. "We just want to make sure they return safely."
Exsodia exhaled heavily. "Fine. But instead of wasting time, I want you two to take care of an important mission I received earlier this afternoon."
Starsha raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "What mission?"
"Killing off a swarm of giant spiders that attacked the Royal Guard outpost near the Calderock Forest," Exsodia replied with a wide grin, pointing upward like he just shared the most exciting news.
"How boring," Starsha groaned.
Eve only gave a short sigh and furrowed her brow.
"Come on! You two are long-range specialists. This is perfect for your skills. Wipe them out quickly, and then you'll have time to meet Hara and Roine afterward. It's on the same route."
"Why don't you go?" Starsha barked, annoyed by his never-ending cheerfulness.
"I've got another task. Directly from the royal court," Exsodia replied with a rare serious tone.
"Fine," Eve said shortly, already turning toward the mission path. Starsha followed behind, still grumbling under her breath.