Chapter —Marin's risk for bait
Morning sunlight spilled across the city like a quiet promise. Streets were busy, people unaware that above them—far beyond normal sight—a lone figure moved with purpose, gliding through the air as if gravity itself had loosened its grip.
Luke hovered high above the rooftops, wind brushing past his cloak. The city below looked peaceful from here. Too peaceful.
He helped when he could.
A collapsed signboard fixed before it injured a passerby.
A lost child learned the way home after a quiet escort.
A stalled vehicle nudged back into motion with invisible force.
Always brief. Always distant.
Always unseen.
Luke no longer helped only at night.
With the Illusioner, he had changed everything.
Far away—at his home, at school, at routine places—his illusion continued life as usual. From a distance, no one could tell the difference. It attended classes. Walked familiar roads. Existed normally.
Meanwhile, the real Luke crossed borders.
At first, the Illusioner drained his aura sharply when he pushed distance. His chest had tightened, breath heavy, aura thinning like stretched fabric. But slowly, painfully, he learned to balance it—adjusting output, anchoring illusion range, controlling loss.
Now, it was manageable.
Still dangerous.
Still exhausting.
But worth it.
As he floated above the city, Luke's mind wandered—back to Marin's words from days ago.
> "We should stop chasing Auramaster… and make him come to us."
At the time, Luke had brushed it off.
Now, it lingered.
Marin wasn't reckless. She never acted without thought. When she spoke with certainty, it meant she had already considered consequences and will do something.
That unsettled him.
"She won't do something stupid…" Luke muttered.
Auru's voice echoed gently in his mind.
"I also hope so."
Luke exhaled slowly.
"Yes," he admitted.
---
Elsewhere – Near the Dungeon Zone
The air was heavier here.
Marin stood at the edge of a restricted zone, staring at the stone archway that marked the entrance of a D-rank dungeon. The structure pulsed faintly, aura leaking like mist from unseen cracks.
Beside her stood Mie, her aura creature—small, eyes sharp with intelligence.
Mie tilted her head.
"Why are we here?" she asked carefully.
Marin adjusted her gloves. Her expression was calm, but her eyes burned with resolve.
"We're going inside."
Mie casually asked"So Are you called all your friends".
Marin replied"We are going inside alone ."
Mie froze.
"…Inside?" she repeated. "Alone?"
Marin nodded.
Mie's ears flattened instantly.
"Marin, no. That's not allowed. A guild member entering a dungeon solo without registration violates multiple rules. You could lose your license."
Marin didn't turn.
"I know."
"Then why—"
"This dungeon is unstable," Marin interrupted. "Aura density is rising unnaturally. If Auramaster responds to abnormal situations… this is bait."
Mie stepped in front of her.
"This is insane. You could get killed."
Marin finally looked at her.
"If I don't take risks," she said quietly, "I'll never reach him."
Mie's voice shook.
"You don't need to do this. You can tell your guild—"
"No," Marin said firmly. "No one."
She stepped forward.
Before Mie could say another word, Marin crossed the boundary.
---
Inside the Dungeon
The moment Marin entered, pressure crushed down on her like an invisible hand.
Aura here wasn't just dense.
It was hostile.
The walls glimmered faintly, shadows stretching unnaturally long.
"So heavy already…" she muttered.
Mie materialized beside her, tense.
"This isn't normal for D-rank.
We should go back"
"I know," Marin replied. "That's why he'll come."
A growl echoed.
From the darkness, something moved.
A D-rank monster, malformed and aggressive, crawled forward—claws scraping stone.
Marin's eyes sharpened.
"Here you are."
She launched forward.
---
Luke was mid-flight when it happened.
A sharp vibration pulsed through his pocket.
A sound followed.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Luke froze in midair.
"…What?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his guild card.
It glowed red.
Pulsing.
Warning signals flashing repeatedly.
Luke's confused
"What is happening with my guilde card." he whispered.
His communicator buzzed immediately.
"Luke!" Liod's voice burst through, panicked. "Did your guild card just activate?"
"Yes," Luke replied quickly. "What does it mean?"
There was a pause—pages flipping, breath hurried.
"I checked the guild manual," Liod said. "If a guild card enters this emergency state… it means one of our members is in critical danger."
Silence followed.
Luke already knew.
"…Marin," he said.
---
Dungeon – Marin
Blood dripped onto stone.
Marin staggered backward, breathing hard. The monster was wounded—but still standing. Too strong. Too relentless.
Her shoulder burned where claws had torn flesh.
She gritted her teeth.
"Come on… just a little more."
She charged again.
The monster roared and struck.
Marin was thrown violently, crashing into a wall. Pain exploded through her ribs.
She fell to one knee.
Vision blurred.
"…Guess I pushed too far," she muttered.
The monster advanced.
---
Outside the Dungeon
Chaos had erupted.
Guild officials arrived first.
Then government personnel.
Then Aurafiest.
Uno paced furiously.
"Let me go inside!" he shouted. "She's our guild member!"
An official blocked him.
"Entry is restricted until a full team assembles."
"She's going to die!" Chika cried, tears streaming down her face.
Marin's parents had arrived, faces pale with fear.
Luke's illusion stood among them—silent, tense.
The air felt suffocating.
Then—
A presence descended.
Wind shifted.
Aura rippled.
A masked figure landed lightly before the dungeon entrance.
Silence fell instantly.
The official swallowed.
Auramaster Luke asked"Is there anhthing happening in this place "
The government official nodded once and tell him that a girl alone entered the dugeon.
Before anyone could ask another question—
He stepped forward.
Alone.
And crossed into the dungeon.
---
End of Chapter.