Chapter 87: Swallowed by the Forgotten City (2)

They advanced cautiously, wary of any ambush along the way… but they reached their destination without incident. The path was short—deceptively so.

And then… the moment they arrived.

Most of the hunters froze in place the instant they saw it—the ancient city rising before them, its dark structures stretching into the distance.

Even Ethan himself was surprised this time, and the reason was the suffocating aura surrounding it.

An aura that made even breathing a struggle.

Frowning, he immediately realized something had changed about Old Ashvarn compared to the last time he had been here.

’It’s only been a few days… yet it feels completely different now…’ he thought silently, analyzing what he saw while ignoring the varied reactions of the hunters around him.

Before, the city had been quiet and eerie, radiating a subtle, unsettling sense of danger.

But now… its presence was overwhelming.

The aura surrounding it was blatant, oppressive … as if it were openly threatening anyone who dared approach.

The clotted blood had grown far more abundant, and a strange fog had spread between its towering buildings.

The hunters stood one after another atop the hill overlooking the city, unable to believe something like this had existed beneath their feet all along.

It looked… like another Ashvarn.

A mirror of the city they had lived in.

Some among them were sharp enough to realize the truth.

This was Old Ashvarn—the one spoken of in legends, the one that had vanished without a trace after the Purge… an event rarely spoken of.

Such a discovery halted the entire expedition for a time, as they awaited orders from above.

The one leading the operation was the strongest member of the First Squad—a tall, imposing hunter with rough features and a face covered in scars.

His hair was red, his eyes crimson—marking him unmistakably as one of the Heart.

A massive greatsword rested on his back, and he wore full black armor.

Standing at the forefront, he issued commands one after another, halting their advance.

Moving among the weaker squads, he selected two hunters and ordered them to return and inform the elders of what they had found, then await further instructions.

Until then, no one was allowed to enter the dark city.

They were ordered to remain positioned near the entrance they had come from.

Watching him, Ethan frowned slightly, wondering whether he would be forced to follow the orders of a man he knew nothing about.

Raiden, standing beside him, noticed his lack of knowledge and leaned closer, whispering in his ear.

“That’s Gustav Heart. He’s the oldest active hunter, nearly forty… and he’s reached the Saint rank—equivalent to level 50. That makes him the strongest hunter among us.”

Ethan glanced at him and gave a small nod.

“No wonder he’s the one in charge.”

“Yeah. He’s an excellent hunter… but extremely strict. He follows rules and traditions to the letter. Try to stay on his good side.”

“I will,” Ethan replied with a quiet sigh, understanding the implication behind Raiden’s words.

His own style relied heavily on improvisation … often in ways that deviated from conventional hunting methods.

That alone could easily irritate someone like Gustav, who adhered to old principles regardless of outcome.

Ethan made a mental note to keep his distance from him as much as possible.

Standing among his squad, he crossed his arms and remained silent, waiting patiently for orders from the elders.

His teammates, meanwhile, were chatting with Luna, welcoming her into their group.

But Ethan’s thoughts were elsewhere entirely.

He was focused on something else…

The cooldown timer.

…

[Class change at will]

Time remaining until next use: 3:43:15

…

There were still nearly four hours left before he could change classes again, meaning he couldn’t restore his stats to their previous state for now.

’I don’t know if this is just my bad luck… or something else entirely… but I’m stuck as a mage until the cooldown ends.’

In other words…

Using his Executioner’s Sword—or his telekinesis—was no longer possible at the moment.

His Strength and Arcane stats had dropped too low… no longer meeting the requirements.

’Three whole hours… I’ll have to survive inside that city relying on nothing but my mechanical Legion Arm.’

Ethan clenched his fist, irritated by the cursed timing of Old Ashvarn’s appearance.

’Most likely… that missing pair of hunters entered the city… and triggered some kind of mechanism.’

That was the conclusion he reached based on the limited information he had.

’Good thing I didn’t go in that day… otherwise, I’d be the one missing instead of them.’

As he stared at the city from afar, he felt a rising heat building inside his mind.

A mage with no spells… forced to enter a cursed city like that and survive for over three hours.

Deep down, Ethan hoped the elders would delay the order to enter … just enough time for him to switch back to a knight.

But that hope was crushed almost immediately.

The two hunters Gustav had sent returned quickly, delivering the elders’ orders.

The orders were simple:

“Deploy the seven strongest hunting squads. The rest will remain outside as reserves in case anything happens.”

Gustav Heart read the command aloud before nodding firmly.

“To the first seven hunting squads! We will enter the city and eliminate the creature responsible for the curse!”

His deep voice echoed loudly—shattering Ethan’s final thread of hope.

“Damn it…” Ethan muttered under his breath, cursing his misfortune of belonging to one of the top three squads.

’At this point… I have no choice but to rely on my teammates to keep me alive.’

This time, he placed his trust in them. They were strong … reliable enough to handle whatever threat awaited inside.

Their presence gave him a measure of reassurance… a fragile sense that things might go smoothly.

Soon, the first seven hunting squads began advancing toward the city’s entrance.

With every step closer to those towering gothic structures, the scent of blood filled their noses.

But it didn’t bother them.

Hunters were used to the smell of blood—it was part of their world, something they faced on the frontlines every day.

Step by step… they finally entered the city.

Gustav was the first to cross the threshold, followed by his squad.

Then it was Ethan’s turn.

Breaking through the mist, Ethan stepped into Old Ashvarn at last.

The moment he crossed the boundary, a sharp headache struck him.

His vision blurred for a brief second—then returned to normal.

A thin layer of fog spread across the streets, making visibility slightly difficult.

“Stay close, everyone… we don’t know what might hap—”

His words never reached anyone.

“…Huh?”

Ethan froze, uncertainty flashing across his face.

He turned right… then left… then looked behind him.

Nothing.

All around him—only dark gothic buildings, old chimneys, sealed doors, and that eerie fog stretching across the empty streets.

There was no sign of a single human soul.

Raiden, who had been in front of him…

Chai and Luna behind him…

Alicia…

Moon, leading the way with her flaming sword shining through the darkness…

All of them had vanished without warning—as if the ground itself had swallowed them whole.

Even the entrance behind him… was gone.

Completely erased, as if it had never existed to begin with.

In its place stood another endless street, lined with more dark buildings.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Ethan let out a stunned laugh as he extended his mechanical arm toward a nearby building.

Firing the grappling hook, he latched onto its peak and pulled himself upward, seeking a better vantage point.

He ascended swiftly and skillfully, landing atop the rooftop.

From there… he finally saw it.

And what he saw only deepened his frown.

“Seriously? …Haha… this is the worst-case scenario…”

As far as his eyes could see—

In every direction—

There was nothing but an endless sea of dark buildings, fog-filled streets…

And a city with no end.

There was no exit.

No escape.

Just a single step inside had been enough to drag him deep into its depths …

Forcing him to realize just how much he had underestimated it.

Old Ashvarn…

The city erased from history.

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