Chapter 18

The fire in the hearth had died down to glowing embers, casting long, dancing shadows across Maya’s inn room.

CRACK.

Maya froze, lowering her book. The sound had come from the foot of her bed. She slowly stood up, the silver plates of her Gauntlet shifting slightly as she clenched her fist. She pulled back the thick woolen blankets.

The premium, black-and-crimson egg was vibrating violently.

CRACK. SNAP.

A jagged fissure raced down the center of the shell. Suddenly, the egg burst apart, but not with a spray of fluid. Instead, a thick, inky black mist poured out, chilling the air in the room.

From the center of the mist, a pair of glowing, blood-red eyes opened.

A small paw, covered in fur as dark as midnight and tipped with razor-sharp, obsidian claws, stepped onto the mattress. Then came the rest of the creature. It was a wolf pup, roughly the size of a large dog, but its proportions were entirely predatory. Its muscles were lean and coiled, and faint wisps of dark energy seemed to bleed off its fur into the surrounding air.

The pup looked at Maya. It lowered its head, letting out a deep, rattling growl that sounded like grinding stones, and bared a mouth full of needle-like teeth. It was highly aggressive, a born killer fresh from the shell.

Maya didn't flinch. She didn't back away. She slowly lowered herself to one knee, bringing herself to eye level with the beast, and extended her Gauntleted hand.

The pup snapped its jaws, inches from her silver fingers, testing her. Maya held perfectly still, her dark eyes locked onto the glowing crimson ones.

After a tense, breathless moment, the pup stopped growling. It stepped forward, sniffing the cold metal of the Gauntlet, sensing the immense magical power of the Cardinal Weapon. Then, the terrifying predator let out a soft whimper, entirely betraying its fearsome appearance, and aggressively rubbed its head against Maya’s palm.

A glowing blue screen instantly flooded Maya’s vision.

[Monster Companion Registered: Shadow Wolf (Juvenile)]

[Status: Bound to Cardinal Gauntlet]

[Party Buff Applied: Agility +10%, Attack +15%, Night Vision Granted]

[Please enter a name for your companion:]

"Onyx," Maya whispered, scratching the pup behind his ears. Onyx let out a happy, rumbling sound, his tail thumping against the mattress.

[Companion 'Onyx' confirmed. New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Meld.]

Knock, knock, knock.

"Maya-sama?" Myne's muffled voice came through the thin wooden door, laced with sleepy concern. "I heard a strange noise. Did you drop your armor?"

Maya’s blood ran cold. Myne was the kingdom's top spy. If she saw a highly illegal, terrifying dark-attribute monster in the Gauntlet Hero's room, she would immediately report it to the King or the Church. The facade of the naive, helpless maiden would shatter instantly.

"Just a moment, Myne!" Maya called out, injecting a perfectly calibrated note of embarrassment into her voice. "I tripped over my boots!"

Maya looked down at Onyx in a panic. "Hide," she hissed, pointing under the bed.

Onyx didn't scramble under the bed frame. Instead, the pup looked at the shadow cast by the bedside table. He took a step forward and simply… sank. His midnight fur dissolved into the darkness of the floorboards until there was absolutely no trace of him left.

Maya blinked, absolutely stunned. Shadow Meld, she realized. He can literally hide inside shadows.

She quickly swept the broken eggshells into the fireplace, smoothed the blankets, and opened the door.

Myne stood there in her silk nightgown, rubbing her eyes. "Are you alright, Maya-sama? It sounded like a magical discharge."

"I'm so sorry to wake you, Myne," Maya sighed, offering a sheepish smile. "I was just practicing equipping my Gauntlet in the dark, and I completely lost my balance. I'm so clumsy without you guiding me."

Myne’s suspicious frown instantly vanished, replaced by a patronizing, affectionate smile. "Oh, Maya-sama. You must be careful. You are so eager to grow strong, but you need your rest. Leave the midnight watch to the city guards."

"You're right, Myne. Goodnight."

Maya closed the door, sliding the bolt shut. She looked down at the floor. "Onyx?"

The shadow stretching from the foot of her bed rippled, and the wolf pup popped his head out, his red eyes glowing in the dark, tongue lolling happily. Maya grinned. She had a perfect, undetectable assassin.

Across the city, in Erhard's Armory…

Naofumi stood frozen in the middle of the blacksmith's shop.

He was wearing a brand-new, surprisingly lightweight and sturdy chainmail shirt. Attached to his small shield was a shimmering, incredibly tough piece of a Wyvern's scale, bumping his defense stats into a tier he hadn't thought possible for weeks.

And resting on the counter in front of him was a leather pouch containing two hundred and fifty gold coins.

"I don't understand," Naofumi said, his voice hoarse, looking at Erhard with profound suspicion. "Why are you doing this? Everyone else in this city wants me dead. And where did you get this kind of money?"

Erhard crossed his massive arms, leaning against the anvil. He remembered Maya's strict instructions perfectly.

"Look, kid," Erhard grunted, putting on his best scowl. "I don't give a damn about the Church of the Three Heroes. They preach about justice, but they overtax my shop and treat the common folk like dirt. When I saw the King throw you out like garbage, it made me sick."

Erhard tapped the bag of gold. "I have… silent partners. People in this city who want to see the Shield survive just to spite the Crown. That gold and those drops are an investment. They want you to get strong enough to survive the Waves."

Naofumi stared at the gold. His hands were trembling slightly. For three days, he had been surviving on scraps, sleeping in alleys, and fighting balloons for copper coins. He had felt completely, utterly alone.

But looking at the Wyvern scale on his arm, a new, fiery determination ignited in his chest. He wasn't entirely alone. He had allies in the shadows.

"Tell your partners," Naofumi said, his green eyes burning with a fierce, unwavering resolve, "that I won't die. And I won't forget this."

He swept the gold into his inventory, turned, and walked out into the night, ready to truly begin his grind.

The Next Morning…

Maya sat at the inn's dining table, enjoying a plate of eggs and bacon. Beneath the table, hidden perfectly within the shadow of Maya's chair, Onyx was happily gnawing on a piece of sausage Maya had discreetly dropped.

Myne sat across from her, sipping her tea.

"Maya-sama," Myne said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "You are now Level 18. Your progress is astounding. We have two and a half weeks until the Wave. How shall we spend our time today?"

Maya took a sip of water, her mind racing. With Onyx safely hidden in her shadow, her stats significantly boosted, and Naofumi secretly funded, the board was set. Now, she needed to prepare for the actual apocalypse.

Interactive Choice: Preparing for the Wave

Maya has a powerful hidden companion and a solid cover. What is her tactical priority to prepare for the impending Wave of Calamity?