BRAND NEW WORLD

The Sand Worm Queen emerged from the depths of the earth, her gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth, and lunged upward to devour Luna. Everyone was shocked by this, including Luna herself.

"Luna!" "Lady Luna!" shouted Rima and Lusserina.

When the Sand Worm Queen was just meters away from reaching Luna, her mouth suddenly slammed into an invisible barrier, creating ripples at the point of impact. Failing to swallow Luna, the Sand Worm Queen's body fell back to the ground and disappeared into the sand. Rima and Lusserina immediately rushed to Luna's side.

"Luna, are you okay?" asked Rima.

"My Lady... are you unharmed?" asked Lusserina.

"I'm fine," Luna replied.

The three of them looked down at the spot where the Sand Worm Queen had last been seen before vanishing from sight.

The Sand Worm Queen? Isn't this the field boss from a particular event? Back in the game, this boss was challenging to defeat due to its massive HP and its habit of constantly hiding underground. That made it one of the most challenging and time-consuming bosses to beat.

"What do we do now, Luna?" asked Rima.

[Meanwhile, in the city below]

Screams and shouts echoed through the city. The cause was the emergence of sandworms from the ground in the capital. Some of them burst out beneath public buildings and residential homes, causing mass panic.

Since Gale couldn't fly, he could only help eliminate the worms that had infiltrated the city.

[Back to Luna]

Hmm... it seems the protective barrier only covers the surface.

"Luna, we need to help the citizens," said Rima.

"Of course. Let me call for backup first," Luna replied.

Luna, along with Rima and Lusserina, descended to the ground, and Luna closed her eyes.

Everyone, I need your help!

Shortly after, Putih came running with her two children, Bamby and Arimby, followed by Griffa, Riffon, and Langit, who had arrived from the sky.

"My Lady, we should split into groups," suggested Lusserina.

"I agree with Lu," Rima added.

"In that case..."

After finalising their plan, they divided into three groups. The first group consisted of Rima, Griffa, and Riffon, tasked with patrolling the capital from the sky and ensuring that no sandworms approached. The second group, led by Lusserina, consisted of Putih, Bamby, and Arimby, who patrolled the ground and eliminated any worms they encountered. The last group was Luna and Langit, who would oversee the city from above. Once ready, they immediately moved out according to plan.

[Elsewhere in the Capital]

"Hah... Hah... Haa... I thought I was going to die," gasped a thin man, sitting down as if out of breath.

"Right. I thought so too... We almost became food for those worms," replied a chubby man.

"You're right... It seems like today is our lucky day... or not," muttered a bearded man.

The clinking of metal against metal rang out as a group of uniformed individuals approached, weapons strapped to their waists and backs.

"This chaos must be your doing," said one of the uniformed men, pointing his sword at the bearded man.

"The Sultan's royal knights?!" the bearded man exclaimed in shock.

[Back to Luna]

Luna hovered in the sky above the capital, scanning the area. She also used *detection* to monitor the entire city.

As she looked around, she suddenly remembered Elise and the others. Quickly, she searched for their location and found them. Luna immediately rushed to where they were.

After a while, she spotted Elise and the others helping to evacuate citizens to the church, the Colosseum, or the Sultan's residence.

"Elise!" Luna called out.

"Big sister Luna!" Elise and the others shouted.

"I was looking everywhere for you," Elise added.

"Sorry for making you worry," Luna replied.

"Luna, is it true that monsters have entered the capital?" asked Al.

"Yes. They're sand worms native to the desert here," Luna answered.

"Sand worms... I thought they couldn't enter the city," Kyle murmured.

Luna briefly explained what had happened earlier. Everyone was stunned.

"The Sand Worm Queen?! Even ordinary sandworms require a group of B or A-rank adventurers to defeat, and now hundreds are here?! Are we going to be okay?!" Al exclaimed in shock.

"..."

A heavy silence fell over them, broken only by the sound of people running for safety.

Luna! Where are you? The Sand Worm Queen has reappeared!—Rima's voice echoed telepathically.

"Everyone, take shelter with the others. I have to go," Luna said.

"Wait, sis!" Phina cried out.

Without waiting for a response, Luna shot into the sky with Langit.

"Big sister Luna can fly?!" Elise and the others gasped in surprise.

[Elsewhere in the City]

A man was struggling to fight several sandworms near the harbor.

"Haa... damn it, it takes 4-6 attacks to kill just one, and now I have to fight ten at once?" Gale muttered, panting as he dodged the worms' assaults.

After a while, Gale's movements slowed. He had exhausted too much of his *mana*.

"This can't go on. Sooner or later, I'll run out of *mana*," he thought.

Lost in his thoughts, Gale failed to notice a worm lunging at him from behind. By the time he turned around, it was already meters away.

SLASH!

Suddenly, something descended from the sky and struck the worm in front of him. Dust billowed, obscuring his vision. When the dust cleared, a black-haired elf woman stood tall, gripping two weapons in her hands.

"You...!" Gale muttered.

"Are you okay?" Lusserina asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for saving me," Gale replied.

"Good," Lusserina said.

"By the way, I'm Gale..." he added.

"Lusserina," she answered with a slight nod.

As they spoke, several more sandworms charged at them from all directions. Gale readied himself, though his breathing was still laboured and his face pale.

"Rest for now. Leave this to us," Lusserina said.

"Us?" Gale wondered.

Three white wolves appeared—one standing three meters tall and the other two half that size—pouncing on the sand worms. Meanwhile, Lusserina spun with her twin kujangs, slicing the worms into pieces.

Killed in a single strike?! Who is this woman?!—Gale thought in awe as he watched her.

The battle raged for several minutes until no more worms emerged. Galu also joined in eliminating the remaining worms.

Silence returned, broken only by the sound of the desert wind. The corpses of sandworms littered the ground like a massacre had taken place.

"Since it's over here, I'll take my leave," Lusserina said.

As she turned to go...

"Wait!" Gale called out.

"Is there anything else you need?" Lusserina asked.

"Can we meet again?" Gale blurted out.

"..."

Lusserina remained silent, showing no reaction to his words.

"Don't die..." she said before leaping away, disappearing from one rooftop to another.

"Aarrghhh... why did I say that? I just wanted to tell her to be careful, but that came out instead. She probably thinks I was asking her out," Gale muttered, his face reddening.

[Another Part of the City, Minutes Earlier]

High above the capital of Arvastan, Rima flew alongside two gryphons, Griffa and Riffon. The trio patrolled the skies, dealing with sand worms emerging from the ground while searching for the Sand Worm Queen.

The worms appeared in the middle of streets, inside homes, and even in the royal palace's courtyard. With Griffa and Riffon's instincts, they easily detected the creatures.

Whenever a worm surfaced, Griffa and Riffon swiftly dove down, tearing them apart with their claws. Meanwhile, Rima used her magic to cast minor spells that killed the worms in one hit.

There have been tremors underground since the Sand Worm Queen disappeared. Don't tell me—Rima thought.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, an explosion rocked the city square. Rima quickly cast a protective spell. Dust and smoke obscured the area, but soon, a massive fifty-meter-tall worm stood before her.

The Sand Worm Queen!—Rima gasped.

HISSSSS!

The queen let out an ear-piercing hiss. Panic erupted as people fled in terror.

"Griffa, Riffon, distract her. No area spells!" Rima ordered.

QURUU!

The two gryphons shot toward the queen. Rima helped those who had been knocked down or trapped under debris. As she assisted, she kept an eye on the battle.

Thanks to their agility, Griffa and Riffon dodged the queen's attacks with ease. Frustrated, the queen's body trembled.

SPUURRR!

She spat a stream of green acid at the gryphons, who narrowly avoided it. The acid melted buildings on contact, emitting a pungent, nose-burning stench.

Acid?!—Rima shuddered, breaking into a cold sweat.

This is dangerous. Luna, the Sand Worm Queen, is here. Hurry!—Rima called out telepathically.

• •

After evacuating some citizens, Rima flew higher, watching Griffa and Riffon keep the queen distracted. Soon, Luna arrived with Langit.

"Rima, what's the situation?" Luna asked.

"Bad. The queen can spit acid and attack from underground with sharp spikes on her body," Rima replied.

"I see... Then let's do this as usual," Luna said.

"Okay!" Rima agreed.

Rima chanted a spell and raised her hand. Giant blue magic circles appeared around the queen, and massive ice needles shot out, piercing her body. The queen writhed in pain, screeching deafeningly.

Luna also raised her hands, summoning two thirty-meter-tall stone and earth golems to restrain the queen.

Rima chanted another spell, conjuring a colossal ice dragon above her head. The dragon, formed from swirling ice, lunged at the queen.

"Ice Dragon, freeze all my enemies!" Rima commanded.

The dragon crashed into the queen, encasing her in a giant ice crystal.

"Did we do it?" Rima asked.

No way this queen will go down so easily—Luna thought.

Sure enough, cracks formed in the crystal, and a massive explosion shattered it.

"Guess it won't be that easy..." Rima muttered.

"We'll just have to bombard her with more spells," Luna added.

Rima summoned giant chains to bind the queen while Langit, Griffa, and Riffon attacked with pillars of fire and wind orbs.

Despite the onslaught, the queen remained standing.

"She's tougher than I thought..." Rima remarked.

"I didn't want to use this, but it's an emergency," Luna said.

She chanted a lengthy incantation, clasped her hands together, and raised them skyward.

Summoning Magic: Call forth GARUDA!

A massive green magic circle formed above Luna. From it emerged a thirty-meter-tall bird resembling a mix between an eagle and a peacock, with six wings.

"GARUDA! Lend me your strength to defeat her!" Luna cried out.