[One Week Later]
The sun blazed high over the adventurer town of Grenz. The Truck Survivors were gathered inside the guild hall, the air thick with anticipation.
Receptionist Ruki stood at the quest board, dramatically unrolling a parchment.
Ruki (smiling): "Alright, Truck Survivors. This is it. One more Bronze quest before you qualify for your Silver-rank exam!"
Cheers erupted from the party.
Daichi (pumping a fist): "Finally!"
Sho (mouth full of bread): "About time!"
Takeshi (leaning on the counter): "So what's the gig?"
Ruki pointed to a quest marked [Investigation Request: Unknown Ruin Near Ragnir Dungeon]
Details:
Task: Investigate strange lights and noises.
Danger: Unknown.
Reward: 8,000 Gold and automatic Silver-rank qualification upon safe return.
Aiko (reading it over): "Sounds easy enough."
Jun (suspiciously): "Or it's a trap."
Aya: "Relax, we've done worse."
Takeshi (grabbing his keys): "I'll bring the truck."
At the Edge of the Ruins
A crumbling stone structure sat half-buried in vines and dirt. The air was thick with an eerie hum.
Haru (clutching his spear): "Feels weird here."
Ms. Sato: "Be careful, everyone."
The teams split into formation as always — scouting, perimeter, rear guard. Takeshi's Fuso Shogun 510 rumbled along the forest trail.
Unbeknownst to them, deep within the ruins, a sinister figure clad in obsidian armor stepped into the moonlight. His name was Zalgrun the Executioner, one of the Demon Lord's Four Heavenly Commanders.
Zalgrun (raising a hand dramatically to the sky): "Foolish mortals! None shall pass—"
HONK HONK
Zalgrun (blinking): "Eh?"
He turned his head… just in time to see a full-sized Japanese cargo truck barreling out of the treeline at 60 km/h.
Zalgrun: "W-wait—"
CRASH!!
The truck flattened him like a particularly crunchy potato chip.
Takeshi (from the driver's seat): "Ah crap."
The truck skidded to a halt. Dust billowed.
The others rushed over.
Daichi (panting): "What happened?!"
Aiko (pointing to the dented bumper): "Did you hit… something?"
Takeshi (wiping his forehead): "Uh… yeah. Probably a deer."
Jun (looking at a suspiciously armored, headless corpse nearby): "That's… a big deer."
Hiroshi (scratching his head): "Did it drop any loot?"
They scoured the area. Nothing. The body was already decaying unnaturally fast.
Aya: "Weird. It's dissolving."
Sho: "Maybe it was a mimic."
Takeshi (hurriedly climbing back into the truck): "Anyway! We saw nothing. I was careless. My bad. Let's, uh… finish the quest and go home."
Daichi (shrugging): "Eh, fair."
They quickly scribbled down notes about the "strange lights and monster remains" for the report and left the ruins.
None of them realizing they'd just run over one of the Demon Lord's top generals.
Back at the Guild
Ruki (beaming): "Well done, Truck Survivors! You've completed the final Bronze quest!"
New Rank: Silver Adventurers
Guild Bonus: 10,000 Gold and Free Inn Stays for a Week
Daichi: "We did it!"
Ms. Sato: "Great job, everyone!"
Takeshi (polishing his truck): "Just another day."
Meanwhile, In the Demon Lord's Castle
A robed demon knelt before the throne.
Demon Lord (fuming): "What do you mean Zalgrun's dead?!"
Messenger Demon (sweating): "He… uh… got hit by a fast-moving metal beast on the road."
Demon Lord: "WHAT KIND OF MONSTER DRIVES A METAL BEAST?!"
The chamber fell silent.