Chapter 97

The corridor widened suddenly into a broad chamber scarred with battle. The torchlight here flickered over a scene that looked more like a slaughter yard than a fight.

Bodies of shattered iron elementals lay strewn across the floor—dull plates, broken limbs, cores still faintly glowing among the rubble. The stench of scorched metal and blood hung heavy in the air.

In the middle of the chaos a party of adventurers was locked in a desperate stand. Two fighters, both bleeding from deep gashes, tried to hold a rough line with their shields as yet another wave of iron elementals pressed in. Their movements were jerky now, armor smeared with dust and blood, faces pale.

Two other members of their group lay unconscious behind them, sprawled across the stone floor—one a young mage with his staff broken in half, the other a cloaked archer whose bowstring still clung to his fingers. Their chests rose and fell faintly, but neither stirred.

Around them, iron elementals moved like predators scenting blood, their floating plates scraping as they re-formed. Each new blow from the fighters sent shards clattering across the chamber, the noise echoing off the stone like a bell—and with each echo, more shapes flickered in the dark at the edges, drawn by the sound.

Viola’s breath caught in her throat. “They’ve been at this for a while…” she whispered.

Ludger’s eyes swept the scene, his mind already parsing the battlefield.

They fought too long, drew too much attention, and now they’re swarmed. Two down, two barely standing.

He adjusted his armguards. “This is bad,” he muttered.

Luna’s gaze flicked from the wounded to the encroaching elementals. Her dagger was already in her hand. “They won’t last another minute.”

Ludger’s jaw tightened. The chamber was a mess of enemies, blood, and noise—exactly the kind of chaos that could get them killed if they blundered in. But if they stood back, the adventurers were finished.

Ludger’s eyes flicked from the bleeding fighters to the unconscious mage and archer, then to the shimmering shapes gathering at the edge of the torchlight. His instincts screamed at him to stay out of it.

We aren’t low on mana, but we are not paid for this, and don’t know who these people are. If we step in, we inherit their fight and their problems.

He shifted his weight, armguards still raised but not moving. “We stay out of this,” he muttered under his breath. “Random strangers, random mess. Not our job.”

Beside him, Viola’s jaw clenched. Her gaze lingered on the two bodies sprawled on the floor and the ragged, desperate movements of the wounded fighters still standing. She took a half-step forward.

“Viola,” Ludger said sharply.

She didn’t stop. “They’re going to die if we do nothing.”

“They’re not our problem.”

Her hand tightened on her sword hilt. “Then they’re

my

problem.”

Before he could stop her, she stepped fully into the chamber, mana already flickering around her blade. The nearest elemental turned at the motion, its glowing eyes locking onto her.

Ludger exhaled through his nose, a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh.

Of course she is. She’s that kind of person. This could be a trap, but…

He stepped out after her, red-silver armguards rising into position. “Fine,” he muttered under his breath. “It can’t be helped.”

Luna slid smoothly in on Viola’s flank, eyes cool and focused, her dagger flashing into her hand without a sound.

The iron elementals shifted at the new arrivals, their floating plates scraping, cores brightening.

Ludger’s eyes flicked across the chamber, counting targets, measuring angles.

Too many to snipe one by one… better to break their rhythm.

He planted his feet and drew a slow, deep breath. Mana surged through his core, gathering at his palms in quick, precise pulses.

“Down!” he barked.

Blue-white light flared between his fingers.

[Mana Bolt]

snapped out, not as one heavy shot but in a rapid barrage. Bolts streaked across the chamber like streaks of lightning, cracking into the nearest iron elementals. Sparks burst where each one struck; floating plates shuddered, the glowing cores inside flickering erratically.

Another volley. More bolts hammered the creatures, stunning them mid-movement, cracking their lattice bodies and scattering pieces across the floor. The rhythm of their attack faltered, their iron shards falling harmlessly as their forms convulsed under the mana impact.

“Now, Viola!”

She was already moving.

[Weapon Enhancing]

blazed around her blade, the glow licking up her arms. She sprinted past Ludger, her boots striking sparks off the stone.

One elemental lurched at her—half-reformed, its limbs still shuddering from Ludger’s bolts. She swung in a clean, decisive arc. The enhanced blade sliced through its torso, scattering the plates in a spray of dull metal.

She pivoted on her toes, spinning into the next one. A downward cut split its mask-like head, the glow of its core dying as the body clattered apart.

Another step, another slash. She carved through the stunned elementals like a scythe through stalks, her breathing harsh but her movements sharp and controlled.

Luna stayed back at the edge of the chamber, silent and watchful, her dagger still hidden under her cloak. Better no one saw how she fought. Her eyes, though, tracked every movement, ready to intervene if Viola slipped.

Within moments the last elemental collapsed in a heap of broken plates. The only sounds left were Viola’s breathing and the faint hum of Ludger’s armguards cooling from the mana flow.

She straightened, sweat glistening on her brow, and gave a fierce little grin. “That’s how it’s done.”

Ludger lowered his hands, scanning the chamber for any more movement.

Good. Quick, clean. And no one gets to see Luna’s hand yet.

The adventurers still standing stared at them wide-eyed, the danger finally broken.

Ludger stepped over the scattered plates of the last elemental, his boots crunching on dulled fragments. The two remaining fighters stared at him with a mix of exhaustion and disbelief, their shields trembling in blood-slicked hands. Up close, their faces were shockingly young—barely out of adolescence, only a little older than Luna.

No wonder they cracked,

Ludger thought, eyes sweeping the scene.

Two green warriors, one green mage, one green archer. No healer. Once it went wrong, every factor snowballed against them.

He crouched beside the unconscious mage first. The boy’s robe was shredded, his staff broken in half beside him. Ludger pressed two fingers to his neck—pulse faint but steady. The skin around his lips was pale, and his mana signature felt frayed, but he was alive.

Next he checked the archer, a slim girl in a torn cloak with an arrow still clutched in one hand. Her breathing was shallow but even, a bruise darkening along her temple where she must’ve been clipped by a shard. Alive as well, but barely.

“They’re breathing,” Ludger said over his shoulder, his tone even but edged with warning. “But if they’re not healed soon, it’s going to turn troublesome fast.”

The two warriors sagged in relief at his words, but one of them immediately coughed, blood spotting his lips. Ludger’s eyes flicked over them again: armor dented, cuts bandaged with strips of cloth, the look of people who had been fighting far too long without a plan.

He rose slowly, brushing iron dust from his palm.

Kids playing adventurers. Lucky they’re still breathing at all.

Viola hovered behind him, her sword still humming faintly with mana, looking at the unconscious pair with a furrowed brow. Luna stood at the edge of the chamber, her cloak drawn close, watching the shadows. The torchlight flickered over all of them, painting the ruined chamber in a harsh orange glow.

Viola stepped up beside him, her sword already sheathed, eyes on the unconscious mage and archer. “Ludger, heal them,” she said, her voice urgent. “You can fix them, right?”

Ludger closed his eyes and dragged a hand down his face, fingers pressing against his brow. “Seriously?” he muttered.

Viola blinked. “What?”

He dropped his hand and shot her a flat look. “You might as well stand on a street corner and yell out all my skills while you’re at it. Strengths, weaknesses, blood type—give them the full report.”

Viola’s mouth opened, then snapped shut. “I—I didn’t mean—”

“Yeah, I know what you meant,” Ludger said, his tone dry but his eyes still scanning the chamber for movement. “But down here, you don’t tell strangers what the guy next to you can do. You keep it quiet. Understand?”

Her shoulders hunched slightly. “Right… sorry.”

He exhaled slowly through his nose, then crouched again beside the unconscious mage, one hand hovering over the boy’s chest. A soft green glow began to form around his palm as he muttered under his breath.

“Fine. But next time, keep your mouth shut until I decide.”

Viola bit her lip but nodded, watching as the faint light of

[Healing Touch]

seeped into the mage’s body, his breathing already evening out.

Luna’s eyes flicked from Ludger to Viola but she said nothing, her posture still relaxed but ready at the chamber’s edge.

Ludger’s palm glowed faintly green as

[Healing Touch]

seeped into the unconscious mage. The boy’s shallow breaths steadied; the color crept back into his lips. Ludger shifted to the archer, pressing his hand just above the girl’s bruised ribs. The glow spread again, closing cuts and easing the swelling along her temple.

Within a minute the two stirred—first a groan from the mage, then a sharp gasp from the archer as her eyes fluttered open. They both blinked up at Ludger in confusion, still dazed but alive.

“Stay down,” he said flatly. “You’re stabilized, but you’re not ready to sprint out of here yet.”

He rose and crossed to the two still-standing warriors. Both were swaying on their feet now that the adrenaline had worn off. Cuts and bruises mottled their exposed skin, one of them clutching a gashed arm.

“Your turn,” Ludger said, holding out his hands. “I’m not dragging you out of here.”

They exchanged a look, frowning at him. Up close, Ludger was small compared to them, barely reaching their shoulders, his armguards scuffed and dusty. He wasn’t wearing a healer’s robe or any of the holy charms that marked a cleric.

“You?” one of them asked skeptically.

“Yes. Me.”

The taller of the two—broad-shouldered, with cropped hair and armor scuffed from hard use—snorted softly. At first glance Ludger had taken her for a boy, but up close her features were sharper, her armor built for speed rather than bulk. She looked him up and down, still frowning. “You don’t look like a healer.”

“Good,” Ludger said dryly. “I’m not trying to.” He knelt anyway, green light blooming once more from his palm.

As his

[Healing Touch]

spread over their wounds, the tension in their shoulders eased despite themselves. The girl’s breath evened out, the gash on her arm knitting closed. The other warrior’s bruises faded, his grip loosening on his weapon.

Ludger kept his voice level. “You’ll live. But next time, don’t pick a fight you can’t finish without a healer.”

Viola stood a few steps back, arms crossed, her expression a mix of satisfaction and curiosity as she watched him work. Luna stayed at the edge of the chamber, still scanning the shadows.

The green glow faded as Ludger straightened. The four adventurers, battered but alive, stared at him in a mixture of relief and embarrassment.

The taller warrior rolled her sore shoulder as the glow of

[Healing Touch]

faded from her skin. Color had returned to her cheeks, and the tremor in her hands stilled. She looked at Ludger, clearly embarrassed but forcing herself to meet his eyes.

“…Thanks,” she said at last, voice low but steady. “We would’ve been dead without you. I—We owe you.”

The mage and the archer, still weak but conscious now, nodded shakily from where they sat against the wall. Even the second warrior managed a muttered, “Thank you…”

Ludger dusted off his hands and straightened. “No need for details,” he said flatly. “Keep your story. But I’m taking the cores from the elementals as payment. Used too much mana patching you up to walk away empty-handed.”

The four of them blinked at him, startled. Viola’s eyes widened. “Ludger! Seriously? After all that, you’re just going to—”

“Yes,” he said.

She planted her fists on her hips, frowning. “You should be more magnanimous.”

Ludger turned his head slowly and gave her a look as dry as sandpaper. “Do you actually know what that word means?”

Viola opened her mouth, then hesitated, cheeks coloring. “…Being nice?”

“Exactly.” Ludger crouched and began scooping the faintly glowing cores off the floor into his pouch. “And right now being ‘nice’ means we walk out of here alive and with enough mana to heal ourselves if something goes wrong.”

Viola huffed but didn’t press it, watching as he gathered the last core. Luna, silent as ever, flicked her gaze between them, the faintest hint of a smirk on her lips.

The four young adventurers, still too shaken to argue, lowered their eyes and let Ludger take the cores.

“Good,” he said, fastening the pouch to his belt. “Now you’ve got a second chance. Try not to waste it.”

The torchlight flickered over the battered group as Ludger turned back toward the corridor, already thinking about the next move.

They had just finished gathering the last of the glowing cores when the taller warrior cleared her throat. “Wait—before you go…”

Ludger paused, glancing over his shoulder.

“Who are you?” she asked, still leaning on her sword but steadier now. “You’re… clearly not just some random kid.” The mage and the archer looked up from where they were sitting, curiosity flickering in their still-pale faces. Even the second warrior straightened slightly, watching him.

For a heartbeat Ludger’s first instinct was to shut it down.

Doesn’t matter who we are. You got lucky, that’s all.

The words hovered on his tongue.

Then a different thought slid into place. The corners of his mouth curled into that small, scheming smile Viola knew too well.

“You want to know who we are?” he said lightly.

The four nodded, still wary.

Ludger tilted his head just enough for the torchlight to catch his red-silver armguards. “We’re the newest members of the Iron Vein Guild.”

Viola blinked at him. “Wait, what—” she started, but he gave her the faintest flick of a glance that said

play along

.

The battered adventurers exchanged looks at the name, surprise and a trace of respect flickering in their expressions. The taller girl straightened a little more. “Iron Vein…” she murmured, as if testing the words.

Luna’s face remained a perfect mask, but in the shadows her eyes narrowed slightly at Ludger’s audacity.

He gave the four a casual shrug. “Remember that. And remember who pulled you out of the fire today.”

Then he turned his back on them, pouch of ores at his hip, already walking toward the corridor. Viola, still half-baffled but grinning despite herself, followed. Luna fell in behind them, silent as ever.

Behind them, the wounded party stared after the three, the name “Iron Vein” echoing softly between them as the flicker of torchlight swallowed Ludger’s figure.

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