The jungle was alive with the sound of chaos.

Deep within its heart, inside the shattered remains of an ancient ruin, a fierce battle raged on.

25 years-old Kellan Draven and his 24 year-old wife, Aveline Foster—both Royal Explorers—faced off against an ancient amphibian creature known as Kurumo.

Kurumo was no ordinary being. It was a relic of a forgotten era, its mana vast and wild—far greater than any human could possess. Because of that, both Kellan and Aveline found themselves struggling to keep up with its might.

Kellan raised his Magic-Enchanted Pistol, pouring his mana into the weapon until it glowed faintly. He fired a mana bullet straight at Kurumo. The glowing shot struck true—but didn’t even make the creature flinch.

As Kurumo turned its attention toward him, Aveline seized the moment.

She infused her enchanted knife with mana and lunged, slicing the back of Kurumo’s head with a swift, powerful strike.

Kurumo roared, its fury shaking the pillars around them. It opened its maw and unleashed a violent water-stream attack. Aveline dashed in circular motion, narrowly dodging as the beam blasted through the floor and shattered the surrounding columns. Stone fragments rained down, and the ancient ruin trembled under the assault.

Kellan reloaded his pistol with another surge of mana and fired again.

At the same time, Aveline struck low, aiming at Kurumo’s legs. The blow staggered the beast for just a moment.

Then, with terrifying speed, Kurumo lashed out with its massive claws.

Kellan barely dodged, stumbling backward—and that’s when his eyes caught something hidden among the thick vines in the corner: an old cannon, buried in dust.

“Avi!” Kellan shouted.

Aveline understood instantly.

Kellan began firing a barrage of mana bullets to draw Kurumo’s attention.

The creature roared and attacked again, but this time, Kellan focused his mana into his enchanted coat. The fabric shimmered faintly—and absorbed the full brunt of the claw strike.

These coats appeared ordinary on the outside, but they were woven with hidden runes that awakened when fueled by mana, forming a defensive barrier around the wearer.

Aveline reached the cannon and inspected it quickly.

“Kel, it’s in decent shape... but—” she began.

“It’ll need a huge amount of mana,” she finished, frowning.

Kellan fired at a section of the ceiling, collapsing it on Kurumo to buy time, then ran toward her.

“We’ll have to power it together,” he said. “Ready?”

“Always,” Aveline replied with a determined nod.

They took position on either side of the cannon, placed their hands on it, and began channeling their mana. The ancient weapon hummed to life, glowing brighter with each passing second.

Kurumo roared again, emerging from the rubble, its body trembling with rage.

“Now, Avi—fire!” Kellan shouted.

A burst of radiant energy erupted from the cannon, blasting through the air like a comet.

The mana cannonball struck Kurumo square in the chest.

The impact shook the entire ruin.

Kurumo was thrown backward, crashing into the far wall as brilliant light poured from its body. The glow spread, particles of energy dissolving into the air until, finally, the creature’s form vanished completely.

A gust of wind swept through the ruins.

Kellan and Aveline’s coats fluttered in the silence that followed.

Both exhaled deeply and sank to the floor, exhaustion and relief washing over them.

Aveline rested her head on Kellan’s shoulder and whispered softly,

“We did it...”

“As always,” Kellan replied with a faint smile.

They stood after a moment and ventured deeper into the ruin. Amid the rubble, they discovered an ancient relic, its barrier now broken.

“There’s a lot of mana inside this,” Kellan said quietly, holding it in his hands.

And then, without another word, the two explorers stepped out of the ancient ruin, disappearing into the jungle — their mission complete.