"Wake me if something explodes."
Those were Iris's last words before she rolled over and promptly fell asleep.
Arelion stood beside his bed, stretching his shoulders lightly. The day had been longer than expected. New city. New allies. New power that refused to explain itself.
"…I should sleep too," he muttered.
He took one step toward the bed—
BOOM.
The window wall detonated inward.
Glass shattered. Stone cracked. A violent shockwave ripped through the room, throwing debris everywhere.
Arelion's eyes widened."What the—?!"
Cold air rushed in, mixed with smoke and the smell of burned mana.
Instinct kicked in.
"Iris—!"
Too late.
A blur of white-blue flashed past him.
Iris was already moving.
She didn't wake up.
She launched herself.
The moment her feet hit the floor, the frost in the room surged violently. She grabbed Arelion by the collar as she leapt—
"Move."
The world flipped.
They burst through the shattered window together, landing hard on the street below as another explosion ripped through the room behind them.
Arelion rolled, barely managing to keep his footing.
"What just happened?!"
Iris didn't answer.
She was staring upward.
Above them, clinging to the outer wall of the inn, was a creature that shouldn't have existed inside a city.
A single monster.
Its body was massive and twisted, covered in dark, crystalline plates that glowed faintly red. Veins of unstable mana pulsed beneath its skin, radiating pressure that made the air vibrate.
Four clawed limbs dug into the stone like hooks.
Its mouth opened—
And a sphere of compressed mana began forming.
"…That looks unhealthy," Arelion said.
The monster fired.
A beam of raw energy tore across the street, vaporizing stone and leaving a melted trench behind.
Iris clicked her tongue. "Annoying."
She raised one hand.
"Cold Snap."
The temperature dropped instantly.
Ice burst from the ground, freezing the monster's lower limbs in place. Cracks formed along its crystal armor—but it didn't stop.
Instead, the monster roared, its body glowing brighter.
Arelion felt it.
Inner thought:
That thing's about to self-detonate.
"Careful!" he shouted.
Too late.
The monster slammed its claws into the wall and released all its mana at once.
A shockwave erupted.
Before it could reach them—
A blade cut through the air.
Steel flashed.
The pressure vanished.
The monster's head separated cleanly from its body.
Its corpse collapsed, mana dispersing violently before fading into nothing.
Arelion turned.
Elayne stood behind them, sword lowered, breathing steady. Her armor was scratched, but her stance remained solid.
"Your timing is incredible," Arelion said.
"I sensed the mana surge," Elayne replied. "Are you injured?"
"No," he said. "Thanks to her."
Iris snorted. "Obviously."
She kicked the monster's remains once, then frowned. "Tch. That thing shouldn't be roaming inside city walls."
Arelion stared at the cratered street and shattered inn wall.
"…Agreed."
He looked at Iris. "So. Question."
She glanced at him. "What."
"There are monster grades, right?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
She counted on her fingers lazily. "F, E, D, C, B, A, S. Then special cases."
"And that thing?" he asked, pointing at the remains.
Iris grinned.
"That was B-rank."
Arelion's eye twitched.
"…Inside a city."
Elayne sheathed her sword. "It possessed a dangerous skill."
"What kind?" Arelion asked.
Iris shrugged. "Mana Overload. It stores energy and releases it all at once. Self-destruction type."
Inner thought:
So even dying, it could've taken half the block with it.
Arelion exhaled slowly.
"…This journey is going to be loud, isn't it?"
Iris laughed. "Next time, I'll actually let you try waking me up."
He had no comeback.
As city guards began rushing toward them, Arelion looked at his companions.
One commander.One ice menace.And one crown he barely understood.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "This is definitely not a quiet trip."