Threats

Rama turned when he heard the horn from behind him. At that moment, Alysia removed her vizor, allowing Rama to see her face.

Rama furrowed his brow for a moment. And then, he turned his gaze back to the front, so he don't crashed into something.

'What is she doing here?' Rama wondered. But eventually, he slowed down his bike, and it didn't take long for Alysia to catch up with him. They both rode their bikes side by side.

"You look much better than the last time we met," Alysia said.

"Yeah," Rama replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on a mission," Alysia answered honestly. "How about you?"

"Me too," Rama replied. "Which guild take you it from?"

Alysia thought for a moment. Then she said, "Arcane Sentinels." It was Zane's guild.

Rama immediately turned to look at her. "Oh, you're a member of a pretty big guild, it seems."

Alysia smiled at Rama's response. She didn't say anything more, and they rode in silence.

After more than an hour, they could finally see a large forest. It was a common sight outside the walls of the cities. But they also saw something else beyond the forest.

"An ancient tower," Rama murmured.

If there was an ancient building, it usually wouldn't stand alone. With a tower that is tall and still intact, there must be some kind of ancient building complex around it.

Alysia could also see the towering tower. Unlike Rama, who was seeing it for the first time, Alysia already knew that there was an ancient complex around here because her father had once sent an expedition mission to check it out.

'Shouldn't all the Supernaturals here be gone after that expedition? But if they're Ghosts... they could occupy empty places like that. Especially places with ancient structures.'

Alysia's knowledge was clearly much greater than Rama's, so she could quickly speculate on what was actually happening there. She wasn't a hundred percent sure yet, but it might be because of the concentration of ancient Mana in that place that caused the Ghosts there to change.

She and Rama passed through the forest. Rama always kept wary eyes around, ready for something that might jump at him.

Since earlier, his Hunter's Mark had been warning him that there were Ghosts in his proximity. That's why Rama remained vigilant.

But strangely, no Ghosts attacked him. Normally, when Ghosts spotted a human, they would attack immediately.

Rama immediately knew that all of this was due to the anomaly happening here.

Not long after, they finally arrived at the ruins of the ancient building. Gray stones were scattered in various places, some still forming a building structure. This was the remains of the complex that was once inhabited by human civilization before The Great Supernatural War.

They stopped their bikes and got off, each carrying their weapons.

"Are you also assigned to investigate this place?" Rama asked.

"Yes," Alysia nodded. "In the end, I don't have to do it alone."

Rama didn't know whether to be thankful or not for that. With Alysia here, he couldn't use his Soul Fusion power as freely.

'Guess I'll just have to rely on my swordsmanship.'

But he would also have the assistance of a Hunter with considerable abilities. Rama had never seen how Alysia fought, but he suspected that she was quite skilled. After all, she could undertake missions from a famous guild like Arcane Sentinels by herself.

Alysia observed Rama as he gazed at the ruins for a moment. He looked... different from the first time she saw him. Back then, Rama seemed like someone clueless and trapped in an unknown situation in the middle of the forest. Yet now, he appeared capable. He even had his own sword.

"Do you have Mana potions?" Alysia asked.

Rama turned. "No. Do you have them?"

"Of course. It's essential preparation for Hunters," Alysia said.

"I don't need them," Rama said simply. "Let's check this building. Be cautious, there are many Ghosts in this place."

Rama then walked towards the ruin while Alysia followed with a questioning look behind him.

'What does he mean he doesn't need a potion? Does he have so much Mana that he doesn't need it?'

If that was true, then Alysia guessed that Rama was stronger than she thought.

They explored the ruins for several minutes. A disturbingly cold breeze blew at them from every corner of the building, indicating that there were creatures watching them and waiting for the right moment to attack.

'But why haven't they attacked yet?' That's what Rama was thinking now. He had received dozens of notifications about the presence of Ghosts in this place, yet no one had attacked. It was as if... they were waiting for some kind of order.

'This could be dangerous. If they are indeed waiting for orders, whatever is giving them orders must be something very powerful.'

And then, Rama saw it.

< Presence of Specter Behemoth detected nearby! >

Rama suddenly drew his sword. The sound of the sword leaving its scabbard echoed among the ruined stones.

Alysia turned, equally alert. "What is it?"

"It's coming," Rama said. "The Specter Behemoth."

Alysia frowned. "What?"

< Presence of Specter Behemoth detected nearby! >

"There are two of them. Shit!" Rama cursed while scanning around.

~~~