As the Church and noble military forces advanced into the lower districts, it took mere minutes for Maria to sense battles breaking out in multiple directions with varying levels of intensity.

The dark, decaying power of the [Root of Man] surged like a beacon in the darkness. Triggered by long-established magical detection wards throughout Torrent City, crimson alarm barriers lit up across the clear sky, signaling enemy assaults from all sides. Sensing the coordinated ambush, Phoenix immediately ordered his squad to halt.

"No traces of the [Abyss] nearby," Maria muttered, her scarlet eyes scanning coldly. The peculiar layout of the lower district meant she had to stay alert for hidden passages or movable walls.

Phoenix trusted her judgment. Taking a few agile steps, he leapt onto the roof of a dilapidated building, crouching low as he gazed up at the red flares in the sky. He silently calculated the frequency of the heretics' attacks. After a few minutes passed without new distress signals, he smoothly slid down a wooden beam back to ground level.

"Just a distraction. The heretics haven't revealed their full strength yet."

"What now?"

"Stick to the original plan. Secure the area and activate divine detection spells," Phoenix decided. Once those large-scale spells were deployed, no heretic or demon could remain hidden.

Maria didn’t respond immediately. Her mind was turning over a question—what was the [Kasath Reclamation Army]'s true goal? Their decision to charge into Torrent City rather than flee via the dense river network of Emerald Port seemed suicidal, unless they had either gone mad or were confident in escaping unscathed.

But survival under joint siege by Church and military forces? Highly unlikely.

Which meant they probably didn’t care about surviving.

This recklessness stirred something familiar in Maria. Suicidal enemies often unleashed terrifying power. Despite her presence in the city, this [Root of Man] incident didn’t seem any easier—in fact, it was proving more difficult.

"Sister?"

Phoenix, having reorganized the squad into a combat formation, noticed Maria’s silence and approached, his fiery cloak billowing behind him.

"I suggest we move at full speed to the rendezvous point."

"Oh?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by her change of tone.

"So we’ll have enough time... to deal with other matters." Maria’s smile turned sly as she dusted off her robes. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Whatever the enemy had planned, her twin blades were ready to cleanse the filth and slay the wicked.

To her, enemies were nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter.

...

"Hey, Old Ralph, this mission feels kinda off."

Tyr couldn't help noticing the suspiciously knowing exchange between the two NPCs. The quest, which had initially seemed routine, was starting to feel like something else entirely.

"What do you mean?" Ralph’s eyes also seemed uneasy. If those NPCs were about to stir up trouble, he didn’t want to get dragged into it.

"Why wait for something to happen when we can jump in first? If Sister Maria and the Flame Guy are planning something, we might as well get in on the action," Tyr grinned, elbowing Ralph.

After all, fortune favored the bold.

As mere [Apprentices], they had almost no access to precious materials hoarded by major factions. Without merit points, they could forget about advancement.

During the beta phase of [Fractured], secrecy around potion formulas and mystical materials made it nearly impossible for solo players to reach transcendence. Even Maria, with her Church status, had taken over a month to gather what she needed. How could clueless beta testers hope to succeed?

"..."

"Don’t stay quiet, Old Phylin. You don’t want to just sit around, do you?"

Phylin said nothing, hand resting on his sword hilt, but the gleam in his eye said he was intrigued. He wasn’t the type to miss an opportunity.

"Still... you guys saw Maria in action, right?" Ralph hesitated. He’d prefer to barter with other factions than throw himself into danger.

Maria, even as an [Apprentice], had elegantly taken down dozens of [Root of Man] abominations. Alone, she had saved her squad from being wiped out.

Now upgraded to [Iron], she was even more formidable. What chance did they have, a bunch of players with nothing but enthusiasm? Phylin was an exception—his real-world martial arts skills made him a monster in-game.

"Heh, don’t worry. I got us a little something from our military buddies," Tyr smirked, flashing an OK sign and lifting his robe to reveal a compact, gleaming device strapped to his back.

Ralph gasped. Was that... a prototype weapon from the noble army? How had Tyr even gotten his hands on it?

Seriously, this guy had to have some kind of diplomatic charisma skill. There was no other explanation.

Ralph rubbed his stubbly chin, suddenly curious.

With Tyr’s networking talent...

"But seriously—why does Captain Phoenix always seem to have it out for you? Did you piss him off or something?" Ralph tried to sound casual, but his shoulders were already shaking with restrained laughter.

"If I knew, I wouldn’t be suffering like this!" Tyr groaned. Despite having a 'Friendly' relationship with Phoenix, the man seemed to single him out every time. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.