BRAND NEW WORLD

Luna walked with excitement toward the Adventurers' Guild. Yet, upon arrival, she found no requests as interesting as she had hoped. Still, her spirits did not waver—she had already secured the building materials for her new home. Leaving the guild behind, she strolled through the rows of shops in the marketplace district.

Since I've got the materials, perhaps we can hold a small celebration. Cook a few dishes, then share a meal… Luna smiled to herself.

She stopped at several vendors, and the last one she visited was a middle-aged fruit seller.

"Uncle, I'd like to buy all of your fruit."

"All of it?"

"Yes, all of it."

The vendor packed the fruit one by one into a large cloth sack.

"Are you sure you can carry this, miss? It's quite heavy," he asked hesitantly as he handed over the bulging sack.

"Don't worry, Uncle," Luna replied, taking the sack and slipping it straight into her spatial storage. "Thank you very much."

The vendor froze, eyes widening as his goods vanished before his eyes. Luna walked away without looking back, leaving him in stunned silence. After purchasing a few more groceries, she cast a teleportation spell and returned to her home at Dewata Lake.

"I'm home, Lu!" Luna called cheerfully as she opened the door.

"Welcome back, my Lady. How was the meeting? Did you manage to get what you needed?" Lusserina greeted warmly.

"The meeting went smoothly. I got all the materials I needed—now I need to hand them to Bartasz," Luna replied. "I also bought groceries. I want to celebrate with a meal. Let's invite the others as well, and let Bartasz know."

"That's a wonderful idea, my Lady. I'll help prepare the cooking," Lusserina offered.

Luna then contacted her children, inviting them to a family dinner the next day. The happy news was not to be missed. The following evening, when the sun had set, Radhimar and the others arrived. Rania brought along her husband, Elrik. Warmth and laughter filled the house, just like on previous nights.

Two Days Later

Under the morning sun, Luna walked along the streets of Bhorneo's capital. A smile lingered on her face, radiating energy, joy, and hope. In her storage, she had prepared a small gift for Rama.

Lu suggested I give him something. I hope he likes it, she thought.

Soon, she arrived at the Lemurian building. This time, the scene was different—a crowd of people filled the courtyard. From a distance, Luna spotted Rama and Raisya talking with troubled expressions, as if something had happened. Luna quickly approached.

"Rama! Raisya! What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked anxiously.

"Grandma!" they both exclaimed almost in unison.

They exchanged a glance before Rama said, "Let's talk inside." Without waiting for an answer, he strode in.

Raisya followed, Luna trailing behind. Once inside, they sat upon cushions. Silence lingered until Rama finally spoke.

"Actually… there's something that's been worrying me," he said quietly, lowering his gaze and clenching his fists on the table.

"…"

"One of our business partners went to a small village to the west. It's similar to Movento—a fishing village. Its name is Sivanto. Lemurian has worked with them for years. Our partner should have returned four days ago, but there's been no word. Two days ago, I filed an investigation request, but with too few people available, no one has gone yet," Rama explained, his face grim.

Luna was silent for a moment before asking, "Could it be the work of leftover bandits?"

"I doubt it," Raisya answered. "According to the captured bandits, there were no others besides their group."

"Maybe a new bandit faction?" Luna guessed.

"Possible… but why target a small village? It makes more sense to attack Bhorneo or Movento," Rama cut in.

"Then maybe monsters?"

"That's what we need to find out. Whoever is behind this, it must be dealt with before it spreads," Rama said firmly. "Since you're here, Grandma… may I ask for your help?"

"You want me to investigate?"

"Yes, Grandma. With your ability to fly, you can get there quickly. All I ask is that you confirm the situation and return. Don't worry about the payment," Rama assured.

Luna thought for a moment. Rama has helped me a lot with the building materials. Repaying his kindness wouldn't hurt.

"All right, I'll do it," Luna replied firmly.

"Really? But I don't want to trouble you…"

"Don't worry. I don't have any other tasks at the moment. Besides… I also came to thank you." Luna pulled out a Black Forest cake from her spatial storage.

"!"

"OH!! Is that… Black Forest?! That expensive cake?!" Rama's face lit up instantly, his mood shifting one hundred and eighty degrees.

"Yes. I made it with Lusserina. I hope you like it."

"Of course! Thank you so much, Grandma!" Rama exclaimed, grasping her hand eagerly.

"Then I'll set out right away so I can return quickly," Luna said, standing up.

Rama and Raisya also rose to their feet. "Let me walk you to the front, Grandma," Rama offered.

Together, they stepped outside. At the entrance, Luna waved, and Rama and Raisya waved back.

A Short While After Luna Left

"Are you ready to die?" Raisya remarked casually.

"W-what do you mean ready to die?!" Rama stammered.

"For lying to Grandma Luna, of course. You know the stories Mother told about how fierce she was, right? Not to mention her terrifying power. Besides, how could a company as large as Lemurian possibly lack staffing?" Raisya teased.

"Indeed, we're not short on people… but sending a team would take time. If they ran into monsters along the way, it'd be delayed even more. With Grandma's strength, the problem will be solved quickly. So I wasn't entirely lying," Rama defended, forcing confidence.

"Whatever. But if Grandma finds out you deceived her, don't expect me to get involved," Raisya shrugged, heading back inside.

"We're twins—you're supposed to back me up!" Rama protested. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To eat Grandma's Black Forest cake, of course," Raisya replied casually.

"But that was meant for me…" Rama hurried in after her.

Back to Luna

Luna headed toward the western gate of the capital. Like the others, it was bustling with travelers. Once she was far enough from the gate, she turned into the trees.

There, she closed her eyes and chanted a spell. A white magic circle appeared, and from it emerged a familiar companion.

"HIIHEE~"

Langit appeared, brimming with joy.

"Once again, I'll be counting on you," Luna said, stroking his head.

"Hiihe~"

She leapt onto his back, and together they soared into the western sky, the wind roaring past her ears.

Several Hours Later

Langit pierced through clouds and mountains. According to the map, I should be close to Sivanto. Best to descend now, Luna thought.

Langit landed softly. Luna dismounted and walked, with Langit following behind.

A salty scent… so this is near the sea? Interesting. But why is it so quiet?

After a few minutes, houses appeared in the distance. Luna's smile vanished, her face paling. The homes lay in ruins, as though smashed by some terrible force.

"!"

The stench of blood hit her. Inside one house, she found walls scarred with deep gouges, furniture smeared with crimson. Claw marks and dried stains marred every surface.

"This… Don't tell me monsters attacked this village?!" she whispered in horror.

RWARRR!

A roar echoed. Luna rushed outside, sprinting toward the sound. In the distance, three people were being chased by a horde of creatures.

A dark-blue draconian man and a black-haired woman clutching a girl of about seven ran frantically, desperate to escape.

The creatures were horrifying—like mutated fish-men. Their heads were those of fish, eyes bulging lifelessly, yet they bore human-like arms and legs. In their hands, they wielded crude fishing hooks fashioned from bone.

"Crawlers?! Why are they here?! And in such numbers?!" Luna muttered.

"Langit! Let's go!"

With a snap of her fingers, Luna's body lifted into the air, and together with Langit, she shot toward the beach where the trio was being hunted.

Elsewhere

TENG! CTENG!

The clash of metal against bone rang out.

"Damn it! There are too many of them… and they're so fast!" the blue-scaled draconian cursed.

"Hah… hah… They won't stop chasing us…" the black-haired woman panted heavily.

"Can you still keep running?" the draconian asked.

"Yes… I can," she replied.

"Good! Don't stop!"

"All right!"

They kept running, the horde of crawling fish-men closing in. Each stood about a meter and a half tall, slithering like reptiles as they pursued.

Time and again, the creatures lunged with their bone hooks, only to be deflected by the draconian's massive sword.

After a while, the Crawlers attacked together.

ZWUSH!

Three leapt at once, only to be hurled back by the sweep of the draconian's blade.

As he fought off the assault, two more Crawlers flanked the black-haired woman from both sides.

With sharp reflexes, she vaulted aside, dodging their lunges before sprinting onward. But after only a few steps, something massive burst from the sea, crashing onto the shore with a spray of saltwater.

When she saw it, her throat tightened in fear.

A five-meter giant loomed—green-skinned, grotesquely fat, a monstrous fusion of man and fish. In its right hand, it clutched a massive anchor, rusted with age; in its left, a dead shark-sized fish dangled limply.

"Oh no…" the black-haired woman whispered, swallowing hard.

"Wave Hunter?!" the draconian shouted in shock.