BOOM.
The mighty double doors of the Jakartha City Adventure Guild creaked open before slamming shut behind a figure.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
Each heavy footstep echoed like distant thunder across the vast marble floor.
The entire guildhall fell silent. Conversations stopped. Laughter faded. Even the air seemed to tighten, dense, electric, and almost suffocating.
Every pair of eyes turned to the upper staircase.
A man descended.
No... a giant descended.
He stood tall 6.4 feet of pure, unshakable power. His body was carved from experience, built like a walking fortress. Dark, intricately forged armor clung to his body like a second skin, creaking under the pressure of muscle coils forged in battle.
WHOOM… WHOOM…
With every step, the wooden stairs groaned beneath him, as if bearing the weight of a mountain.
Jet-black hair framed his face, not a strand out of place. His eyebrows are sharp like drawn blades.
And his eyes… piercing and unnatural one black, one white glowed faintly like divine sigils.
Anyone who met his gaze felt it.
Dread. Awe. Respect.
A colossal shield hung on his back like a fortress gate, and a long, brutal sword rested at his hip, its hilt worn by countless battles.
He didn't need to shout. He didn't need to demand attention.
He was Ronan Ashbourne Guild Master of Jakartha City. And He Is Knight Profession Class
He stepped onto the raised central platform, facing the sea of Ascendants before him hundreds of them, from various classes and factions, elite warriors and spellcasters alike.
And then… he spoke.
His voice was calm. Cold. But it cut through the silence like a blade.
"My Name Is Ronan Ashbourne Guild Master of Jakartha City's Adventure Guild"
"Thank you…" he began."…Brave Ascendants of Jakartha City."
"Thank you for answering the call to participate in the Beast Tide Examination."
A hush blanketed the crowd. No one moved. No one dared to interrupt.
"Now, I will reveal the full details…" he said.
His eyes narrowed."…gathered by our Guild's elite scouts and long-range reconnaissance teams."
A beat passed. Then his next words dropped like hammers.
"Over one thousand wild beasts are converging on Jakartha City."
GASP!
Shock!
Rippled through the hall. Several guild members exchanged anxious glances. Some clenched their weapons instinctively.
"These are not ordinary beasts," Ronan continued. "They range from 1st Star Low-Stage… to the terrifying might of 3rd Star Peak-Stage."
CRACK!
A young warrior dropped his cup. It shattered on the floor but no one even flinched.
Ronan's voice grew heavier. Sharper. Each word is like a nail in the coffin of illusion.
"Their goal is simple… destruction."
A collective chill swept through the room.
"They will strike at the center of Jakartha City."
"They will tear through anything in their path."
His eyes swept across the room judging, measuring, testing every soul in sight.
"Your duty is to defend this city."
"Station yourselves along the outer walls and barrier lines."
"And kill. Every. Single. Beast."
BANG!
The butt of his sword struck the floor, sending a resonating wave through the stone beneath them.
"Do not take this lightly."
"This is not a training mission. This is not a simulation."
He paused.
Then, his words dropped like a death sentence.
"This… is war. A terrifying Beast Tide, you all needs fight & kill them for protect City and your loved once"
Hearing this all Ascendants blood boiled. Their hair on hands stud and their eyes shows determinetion.
THUD.
He let the weight of that truth sink in.
"Your life will be on the line."
"You may die."
"That is the reality."
Silence. Deafening silence.
Some swallowed hard. Others looked to their companions. A few stared down at their shaking hands.
And then… his tone shifted. Slightly softer. But no less powerful.
"If you're afraid… you are free to step away. No shame. No judgment. No one will force you."
A pause.
Then he raised his hand and pointed to the city's emblem carved into the wall behind him.
"But remember this…"
"This city is your home."
"If you don't protect it, who will?"
BOOM.
His final words landed like a war drum. Then silence again. No one dared breathe.
Finally, he spoke one last time, voice low but firm.
"You have one hour to decide."
"Accept this Beast Tide Examination Quest…"
"…or walk away."
And with that, Ronan Ashbourne turned and walked back toward the upper floor.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
The weight of his presence lingered, even long after he vanished from sight.
Then
BOOM!
The silence shattered.
A storm of voices erupted across the guildhall like a thunderclap.
Panic. Worry. Fear. Determination. All blended into a wave of chaos.
"Over a thousand beasts?! Are they serious?!"
"3rd Star Peak Stage?! We'll be slaughtered!"
"I… I just advanced to 2nd Star. I'm not ready for this!"
One young rogue clutched his twin daggers, his knuckles white with tension. "There's no running from this, is there?" he muttered. "Not when my little sister's sleeping just two blocks from the southern wall…"
Nearby, a burly axe-wielding warrior slammed his fist onto the table.
"If we run, the city falls. If the city falls, our people die."
"We're Ascendants, we fight. That's the damn job!"
BANG!
A fire mage in red robes stood, flames flickering around her fingers.
"I'm not dying for nothing. I say we form squads now, build synergy!"
"Agreed," said an older man in battle-worn knight armor in a calm voice. He tapped his longsword against the floor with a metallic
CLANG.
"We might be outnumbered, but tactics can turn tides."
WHOOSH!
An assassin flickered into view from the shadows, hood down, face unreadable. "If we know where the beasts will hit hardest, I can handle recon."
A healer with light-green hair barely in her twenties spoke with trembling lips: "I… I'm scared. But if I don't help… people will die. I'll join a defense team."
Others began to nod. Resolve began to build slow, shaky, but rising.
Then a grizzled summoner, his beard streaked with grey, raised his voice.
"We don't fight for glory."
"We fight to keep the city standing."
"So stand up! Stand together!"
Ding!
The Quest Board lit up with golden light, the official mission notice appearing:
[Beast Tide Examination Quest – Rank A Emergency Tier]
Objective: Defend Jakartha City from incoming Beast Tide.]
A tense silence fell once again.
The choice was real now.
One by one, hands reached out toward the glowing boards.
"I'm in."
"Me too."
"Let's protect our home."
"Even if I die, I'll die standing."
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
One by one, the Accept confirmations echoed though their guild id cards.
The storm of fear had not passed.
But in his eyes, courage began to take root.
The countdown to war had begun.
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To Be Continued..!!