“Miss!”

Having belatedly noticed Irene being swept away by the crowd, Jessie hurriedly chased after her.

Kuuaang .

However, a gigantic creature resembling a bull, suddenly appeared and blocked the path, forcing Jessie to stop. It was one of the monsters that escaped from the monster training facility, belonging to a species called ‘Minotaur.’

As the Minotaur, with a rough snort, charged forward, Jessie swiftly dodged.

Koong .

The two-story building that the Minotaur rammed into collapsed in an instant.

Perhaps angered by the failed attack, the Minotaur, with its eyes turning bloodshot, charged at Jessie again.

“This is insane!”

Despite the urgent need to find Irene as soon as possible, Jessie, whose ankles were tied due to the Minotaur, muttered curses.

Although he wanted to defeat the Minotaur in one go and quickly find Irene, unfortunately, Jessie lacked talent in combat.

Even if he wanted to ask for help from Jerdin or Raymond, they were too preoccupied dealing with Rambel to assist him.

What should he do then?

While dodging the Minotaur’s attacks, Jessie, deep in thought, widened his eyes as something crawled up the Minotaur’s body.

Could it be…?

Kwaeek .

Before Jessie’s thoughts could come to a conclusion, the Minotaur roared like a pig being slaughtered and collapsed.

Rambel, who had been laboriously facing off against Jerdin and Raymond, also slumped down.

“What’s going on…?”

Raymond, bewildered by the sudden situation, turned around in surprise when he felt a creepy aura behind him.

From a partially collapsed building, Kallos walked out confidently.

Although he had seen him heading in the opposite direction of Esper Castle… when did he appear there?

Raymond looked at Kallos in great confusion, but Jerdin and Jessie remained calm.

Kallos swept his surroundings, then asked Jessie, “Where is Irene?”

Jessie, his face still covered in dust, answered with a gloomy expression, “The young lady is not here, sir.”

“What? What does that mean?”

“She was swept away by people who were frightened by the monsters… I apologize, Master.”

Jessie couldn’t bring himself to look Kallos in the face and lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, Master.”

Only now did Jerdin also bow his head and apologize for Irene’s disappearance.

…

Kallos, about to say something about the failure to properly execute his orders, held back. Now, the priority was to find Irene, rather than blaming whose fault it was.

If they lingered and the sun set, making the territory shrouded in darkness, finding Irene would become even more challenging.

Yes, they must find her this time.

Kallos unleashed all the power he possessed.
The four lords ruling the underground each had their unique abilities, and Kallos’s ability was ‘Shadow,’ allowing him to manipulate all shadows in the world as if they were his own limbs.

However, handling other shadows, especially those of living beings, seemed to require a considerable amount of power. Therefore, Kallos tried to avoid touching other shadows as much as possible, especially since his physical condition was not at its best.

When the situation demanded it, Kallos released his power, covering the territory like a dense fog.

All the shadows in Esper Territory, including buildings, people, and the weeds scattered on the streets, became Kallos’s eyes, showing various situations throughout the territory.

Numerous people were visible, but Irene was nowhere to be found.

On the other hand, Irene, who had relentlessly descended into the crowd and barely escaped, hid in a nearby building to avoid being swept away by the crowd. It was also a precautionary action not to attract the attention of the monsters.

However, the building she chose happened to be half-collapsed, possibly due to an attack by monsters. Dust fell like a waterfall from the sagging ceiling.

‘I have to go out right away.’

But where should she go?

I don’t even know where I am…

Irene peeked outside through a small gap in the door, but no matter how much she looked, she couldn’t figure out where she was.

Originally, today was Irene’s first time coming to Esper Territory, so she had no idea where she was.

Even if she wanted to ask people, everyone was too busy fleeing, and it was impossible to do so.

The only fortunate thing amid the misfortune was that she could see Esper Castle in the distance.

…But why am I only thinking about going back?

Now, with no one watching me, it’s a perfect opportunity to escape.

‘…’

Caught up in the thought that struck her head like lightning, Irene swallowed dry saliva and looked towards the opposite side of Esper Castle.

Seeing everyone running in that direction, there was probably an exit from the territory over there.

So, if I follow the people, I can escape.

Just as Irene took a step forward as if possessed by a ghost.

Splash, thud .

“Ugh!”

The sound of buttocks hitting echoed widely in the silent building.

Thanks to that, Irene, who snapped back to her senses, lowered her head to confirm what she had tripped over.