Chapter 54: Chapel Grounds Disturbance
The Karlune Adventurer's Guild was already stirring when Isaac and Lira arrived. Sunlight filtered through tall windows, catching dust motes and the shine of wax-sealed quest parchments. A low murmur of voices filled the air—new jobs, new gossip, old stories.
Isaac's eyes swept the mission board. Most postings were E or D-rank: escort runs, courier requests, and small-time hunting jobs.
But one stood out—marked clearly in firm, structured ink.
[C-Rank Mission: Chapel Grounds Disturbance]Requesting Party: Captain Meryn, Town GuardLocation: Whispergrove Chapel Ruins – 2 leagues westSummary:Unusual activity reported at the old chapel ruins.Local livestock found dead with deep puncture wounds.Sound of howling during moonrise.Objective: Investigate the source. Confirm or eliminate threats.Reward: 30 silver, + bonus for confirmed kills or notable discoveries.Notes: No Spiral activity confirmed.
Lira leaned over his shoulder. "Sounds manageable."
Isaac nodded. "And close."
They pulled the posting and approached the quest desk.
The clerk on duty—an older man with thinning hair and a sharp gaze—looked them over.
"You two took the Moonlight herb job yesterday," he said.
"That's right," Lira replied.
The man stamped their form. "C-rank missions assume you can handle moderate threat. You'll be held liable if you run away and leave others in danger."
Isaac gave him a calm look. "We won't run."
The road west passed through gentle hills, farmland, and patches of gnarled trees. It took them less than two hours to reach the old Whispergrove chapel.
It stood in a shallow depression, ringed by old gravestones and stone fragments. Moss blanketed the steps. Vines curled around cracked archways. The chapel's roof had long since collapsed, but part of the altar and interior walls remained.
The wind whistled through the broken stone.
Something about the place felt hollow.
But not empty.
Isaac crouched by a patch of disturbed earth. "Tracks."
Lira knelt beside him. "Four-legged?"
He nodded. "Heavy. Wide spacing. Likely mutated."
She reached for her staff.
A growl answered her motion.
Two creatures crawled into view from behind the altar—long-limbed, black-furred beasts with hunched backs and hollow eyes that glowed dimly yellow. Their jaws bristled with jagged teeth. Bone jutted through their shoulders like cracked armor.
[Soulpiercer Sight – Active]Target Identified: Gravehowl StalkerLevel: 14HP: 320 / 320Classification: Beast – CorruptedTraits:– Necrotic Bite– Flesh Memory (resists repeated attacks)– Death Delay (soul dispersal is delayed 5 seconds)
Isaac's brow furrowed. "Death Delay?"
Before he could say more, one lunged.
The fight was fast and vicious.
Isaac ducked the first beast's charge, slashing with [Clawing Swipe – Lv. 5]. Blood splashed as the blow cut deep—but the creature didn't stagger. It swiped at his leg. He dodged.
The second one moved toward Lira, but she was ready.
[Stormlash – Rank A – Activated]A bolt of lightning surged from her staff, striking the creature mid-charge. It collapsed, twitching.
The other beast bit down on Isaac's arm—but his reinforced coat held. He twisted, slammed it to the side, and finished it with [Spiral Rend – Rank C – Lv. 2].
The clearing fell silent.
The corpses didn't vanish.
For five long seconds, they lingered—not twitching, not regenerating—just… refusing to die cleanly.
Then the System finally responded.
[Soul Devourer Matrix – Triggered]Absorbed: +3 STR, +2 INTSkill Extracted: [Grave Maw – Rank C]— Decomposed → +100 Strength
Isaac exhaled slowly. "That soul delay wasn't random."
Lira glanced at the body. "It wasn't undead, but it wasn't natural either."
"They were corrupted. But not Spiral. Just... wrong."
She knelt near one of the fallen beasts. "It still dropped clean stats. Same System structure. No errors."
Isaac nodded, looking distant. "The System didn't reject it. Just marked it and moved on."
Lira turned to him. "You always talk about the System like it's a person."
"It's not," he replied. "It's a structure. A pattern. One that works the same for everyone."
"And yet," she said softly, "it answers you differently."
He was quiet for a moment. Then:
"Not because I'm different," he said. "Because I look deeper."
They returned before dusk.
The clerk accepted their form and confirmed the kills. "Gravehowls. Nasty bastards. They've been creeping up from the southern forests. You handled it cleanly."
He handed them a pouch. "Thirty silver. No bonus this time, but the Guard logged your efficiency."
Isaac tucked it away without comment.
As they turned to go, a young assistant passed behind the desk, glancing at them curiously.
"They're the ones from the broken orb, right?" the assistant whispered.
"Yeah," the clerk replied, not bothering to lower his voice. "But they're registered. System-approved. That's all that matters."
That night, Isaac stood alone outside their shared dormitory, watching the stars emerge over Karlune's rooftops.
He opened his status window in silence.
No new warnings. No anomalies. No deviance.
Just stats.
Just skills.
Just a System—unchanged, unbroken, universal.
And he was still within it.
He didn't use a different path.
He just walked further than most would ever dare.