Chapter 29

The return to Oakhaven was a parade of desperate gratitude.

Despite their dwindling food supplies, the townsfolk scraped together a meager but heartfelt feast in the village square. Myne sat at the head of a long wooden table, soaking in the adulation like a sponge. She preened, offering magnanimous smiles and recounting her "epic magical battle" against the Manticore, completely omitting the fact that Maya had actually shattered the beast's jaw with a stone gauntlet.

Maya stood dutifully behind Myne's chair, playing the role of the silent, brainwashed bodyguard to perfection.

But beneath her iron-clad boots, a shadow detached itself from the evening gloom.

"Go, Onyx," Maya commanded through their mental bond.

The shadow wolf slithered away, completely unnoticed by the celebrating, exhausted peasants. In his jaws, hidden within the two-dimensional darkness of his [Shadow Meld] skill, he carried the heavy, rune-carved iron collar and a single piece of folded parchment.

Onyx glided seamlessly up the walls of the Mayor’s house, slipping through a cracked window into the darkened study. He materialized just long enough to drop the heavy iron collar directly onto the center of the Mayor’s desk with a loud CLANG, placing the note neatly on top before melting back into the floorboards.

When the Mayor eventually returned to his office, he would find the undeniable proof. Maya’s anonymous note was brief and brutal:

The Church’s ‘divine will’ wears an iron collar. The Manticore was theirs. They are starving your people for silver. Take back your town.

Maya watched from the square as the lights in the Mayor's house suddenly flared. She knew what would happen next. A starving, desperate town handed the absolute proof of their extortion wouldn't wait for royal decrees. By morning, the corrupt priest would be chased out of Oakhaven with pitchforks, or worse.

And the Gauntlet Hero's hands would remain completely clean.

Later that night, the inn was quiet. Myne was fast asleep in the adjacent room, utterly exhausted from carrying her massive ego all day.

Maya stood by the open window of her suite. Tied to the iron latch was a single, deep purple ribbon fluttering in the mountain breeze.

The shadows in the corner of the room seemed to thicken, pooling together until the masked figure of a Queen’s Shadow operative stepped silently onto the wooden floorboards. The operative dropped to one knee, bowing their head.

"You called, Hero?" the magically distorted voice murmured.

Maya turned away from the window. "Report this to Queen Mirellia immediately. The Church of the Three Heroes is actively placing high-level, artificially enraged monsters on major trade routes using magical control collars. They are choking off supplies to extort the outer provinces for 'tithing.'"

The Shadow stiffened, clearly surprised by the sheer audacity of the Church's treason. "This is a severe escalation. Shall we deploy an assassination squad to the local cathedral?"

"No," Maya answered firmly. She walked over to the table, her dark eyes reflecting the moonlight. "I already gave the physical evidence to the local Mayor. The town will handle the priest by morning. I will not involve myself directly with the Church's high command right now. Their political standing in the capital is too strong. If they realize a Cardinal Hero is actively hunting them, they will brand me a heretic and turn the King's entire army against me."

"A wise tactical retreat," the Shadow agreed. "Let the peasants take the blame for the uprising. We shall gather intelligence on their other operations from the shadows."

"Exactly," Maya nodded. "But there is one more thing."

She reached into her leather pouch and pulled out three identical, sealed letters. She handed them to the operative.

"The other three Heroes—Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki—are running around the kingdom thinking every monster they fight is a natural occurrence," Maya explained, crossing her arms. "I need them to wake up, but I can't break my cover to warn them myself. Deliver these letters to their camps tonight. Make sure they don't see you."

The Shadow took the letters. "What do they say?"

"Just a little hint," Maya smirked. "I told them: 'Not all monsters spawn from the Waves. Check the necks of the beasts blocking your paths. Trust no priest.' It won't give away my identity, but it will plant a massive seed of paranoia in their minds. The Church won't be able to manipulate them so easily if the Sword, Spear, and Bow are constantly checking their surroundings for traps."

"It shall be done before sunrise," the Shadow promised. The operative stepped backward, dissolving perfectly into the darkness until the room was empty once more.

Maya let out a long breath, unbuckling her leather armor.

She had leveled up. She had secured Oakhaven's supply lines. She had incited a local rebellion against the corrupt Church, informed the true Queen of the treason, and subtly warned the other Heroes to watch their backs.

She looked at her status menu.

[Next Wave of Calamity: 18 Days, 9 Hours.]

The clock was ticking.

Over the next two weeks, the "pilgrimage" turned into a highly efficient military campaign masquerading as a royal tour.

Maya and Myne traveled from province to province. Whenever they encountered a "miraculous" monster blockade, Maya dismantled it with brutal efficiency, secretly pocketing any Church collars she found to build a massive stockpile of evidence for the Queen.

Her stats skyrocketed. By constantly fighting above her weight class and absorbing every rare material the outer provinces had to offer, she pushed her level higher and higher.

[Current Level: 35]

But as they finally turned their horses back toward the capital of Melromarc, a strange, system-wide notification suddenly chimed in Maya's head, accompanied by a flashing golden icon on her HUD.

[SYSTEM ALERT: The Class Up threshold has been reached.]

[Requirement Met: Level 40 is required for standard adventurers. Cardinal Heroes may Class Up at Level 40, or bypass the limit through the Dragon Era Hourglass.]

[Warning: A Class Up is required to unlock Tier-2 Skill Trees and Advanced Weapon Forms.]

Maya pulled her horse to a halt. A Class Up. In most MMOs, hitting the first major level cap meant you had to undergo a specific ritual or quest to evolve your base stats and unlock the next tier of power. If the Wave hit and she was level-capped without a Class Up, she would be at a massive, potentially fatal disadvantage.

"Is something wrong, Maya?" Myne asked, reigning in her own horse.

"No, Princess," Maya smiled, hiding the urgency in her voice. "I was just thinking how wonderful it will be to return to the capital."

I need to get to the Dragon Era Hourglass, Maya thought, her mind racing. But the hourglass is inside the Grand Cathedral. The absolute heart of the corrupt Church's power.

Interactive Choice: The Class Up Dilemma

Maya has returned to the capital with less than a week until the second Wave of Calamity. She desperately needs to perform her "Class Up" ritual to unlock her true power, but the only way to do it is inside the heavily guarded Cathedral of the Three Heroes—the very organization she is secretly at war with.