The forest surrounding the city was dense, but still navigable. Several dirt roads cut through the trees, paths once constantly traveled by local farmers.

Well, used to be traveled. Before all this mess happened.

Most people living outside the city’s main district had been forced to seek shelter, abandoning their homes and lands entirely.

The result? The forest felt strangely empty, even during daylight hours. The sight of abandoned farms was a bleak one.

"Will this place ever actually recover?" William asked.

He glanced to his side, catching Zanyi’s worried expression. He let out a heavy sigh.

"I hope so... but the only way that happens is by destroying that portal—the one bringing monsters through." His gaze drifted toward the horizon. "But what if others appear? That’s always a possibility."

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I need to strengthen this region’s security with my magical formations even more."

It was plain to see that old Master Zanyi was being hard on himself, doing everything in his power to restore the city.

William found it noble. Something he’d certainly do in Zanyi’s position.

It wasn’t long before they started running into people wandering through the forest—near abandoned farms or the lake close by.

Patrol soldiers. They kept constant watch over the perimeter, reporting any suspicious movement, whether human or magical beast.

One of those patrolmen was exactly who William and Zanyi were hunting. Derick. Someone potentially betraying the city, working with criminals looking to exploit the chaos and loot the place.

William was the one who knew Derick’s face—having plucked it from another soldier’s mind—so he’d taken the lead on that part of the search.

First step: find Lucas and Thompson to bring them up to speed. Explain the possible traitor he’d uncovered and pass along his description.

Finding Lucas wasn’t hard.

He was sitting near the lake’s edge, staring into the depths. Clearly lost in thought.

"Thinking about Bob?" William said. "Relax, your snake’s fine in that lake. Nothing’s gonna happen to him."

Lucas wasn’t surprised by their approach—his sharpened senses had picked them up already.

"I know, I know. But come on, he’s like a son to me." He turned to face William. "Anyway, what are you guys doing here? Thought you were handling the interrogation."

William sat down beside him at the water’s edge. Lucas wasn’t wrong about the spot—it was peaceful. Brought a certain calm.

"We’ve got a suspect. Name’s Derick—he has these characteristics..."

William explained everything he knew.

Lucas and Thompson had been investigating the surrounding area for a while, but they hadn’t looked into any of the patrolmen. They didn’t know their names.

But the physical description of this Derick guy caught Lucas’s attention. He’d seen him before.

"Hold on, I know who that is." Lucas stood up quickly. "I saw that guy near an abandoned farm. Well, looked a lot like him. Hard to imagine someone else with the same haircut, glasses, and that skinny build. Has to be him."

"Oh? You’re serious? That was faster than I expected," Zanyi commented from behind. "Can we go check it out now?"

"Sure. We’ll fill Thompson in later—he’s probably way out by now. Guy’s got endless energy, always running around." Lucas took the lead, guiding them toward the abandoned farm where he’d spotted the suspect.

It was a bit of a trek. Took about twenty minutes to get there.

The place seemed tucked away. Hidden.

William was observant by nature, and something about that farm felt... off.

"It’s different from the other farms around the city," William noted. "Looks like it was built later. I don’t think this was here before."

"What? Seriously?" Lucas couldn’t believe it. To him, all these houses looked the same.

William saw it differently.

The location didn’t follow the pattern of the surrounding farms. That alone was strange. Another key detail—the overall design was slightly different too.

Those two factors, combined with a suspicious figure heading there?

The situation just got a lot more complicated.

"Let me check the place first," Zanyi said.

Out of the three of them, he was the one who truly understood magical formations and enchantments. If that location was actually being used by criminals, there was a high chance something was protecting it—something hidden.

He didn’t want Lucas or William stepping into a trap and suffering permanent damage.

Neither of them complained. They stood back, letting Zanyi do his thing.

The old master reached into his leather pouch and pulled out a special kind of powder. It shimmered in the light.

Zanyi placed the powder in his palm, then blew—sending it floating toward the house.

After a few seconds in the air, the powder stopped. Just... halted. Like it had hit an invisible wall.

It clung to the empty space, revealing one of the invisible barriers placed over that abandoned house.

"See that?" Zanyi said with a crooked smile. "I know what I’m doing. This is the first protective barrier—we need to disable it first." He paused. "Or rather, I need to disable it while you two just cover me."

William and Lucas exchanged glances but kept quiet. Old Zanyi was already immersed in his task, laser-focused on disabling the barrier, forgetting everything else around him.

The two of them stayed alert, scanning the area for anyone watching or passing through.

Nothing. The farm was genuinely isolated—nobody came out this way.

"Any chance that suspicious guy is still around? Maybe inside?" William asked.

"Honestly? I don’t think so. He looked like he was leaving the area when I spotted him. Didn’t pay much attention at the time—hadn’t realized the place was this suspicious." Lucas shrugged. "I think we’ve got time to check everything thoroughly."

Up to that point, nothing had William worried. In fact, things were going smoothly.

But the moment Zanyi finally disabled the barrier, something unexpected happened.

The system spoke to him again. This time, far more direct.

[The clue regarding your class lies within the house before you. There is also a powerful demonic artifact that you will be able to use. Take care that no one discovers your secret.]

William froze internally. His expression remained neutral, but his mind was racing.