The bright colors of the Carnival Parade were now a memory. The capital had returned to its usual rhythm, but a strange silence filled the air. People could feel that something serious was about to happen.
Inside the royal palace, the Grand Party and the Rising Heroes stood quietly in the grand hall. They had been called by King Arthur himself. The big hall was quiet, filled with tall windows and banners of the kingdom, but today the place felt heavy and serious.
King Arthur stood up from his throne. His face was calm, but his presence was powerful. He looked different than he did during the Carnival. There was no smile this time. His eyes showed focus and determination.
"Thank you for coming quickly," the King said in a firm voice. "Today, I have something very important to tell you all. I need you to listen carefully."
Everyone nodded, standing straight and paying full attention.
"You all remember the Dungeon of Karcanis," King Arthur began. "You were there when strange things happened. I've received full reports from your teams. I've thought about everything for the past few days. Now, I have made a decision."
The King paused and looked around the hall.
"I am giving you all a new mission. It is called: Mission – Corrupted Core. These are royal orders, and they must be followed. You will not be the only ones on this mission. Other powerful groups will join in. I will tell you more about them shortly."
The room stayed silent. Everyone waited for him to continue.
"Despite the name being Corrupter Core, which will give you all some idea of what the mission is about, it won't be the only thing that will be focused on. This mission has two main goals," the King explained. "The first is the dark core that was found in the Dungeon of Karcanis. We still don't know what it is, but we believe it is dangerous. The second part is the stolen jewel from the Rookie Tournament. That jewel was taken by the intruders, and we believe there are six more jewels like it."
He looked around at everyone, his voice steady.
"We don't know what the intruders want with these jewels. We don't even know where the other jewels are. But we have reason to believe that these seven jewels may hold powerful magic. If that's true, we cannot allow them to fall into the wrong hands."
Zora wasn't in the room, but his words from before still echoed in King Arthur's mind. Zora had mentioned hearing stories about such jewels when he was younger. The King didn't know if those stories were true, but he was not willing to take chances.
"To deal with this threat, many top adventurer groups will be involved," the King said. "From the capital, I will lead with the help of the first, second, and third princes. Adrian, the fourth prince, has asked to stay with the Rising Heroes. I have allowed it."
Adrian nodded with a confident smile, standing proudly next to Lila, Sera, and Doran.
"The groups known as Null Order and Index Obscura will focus on researching the corrupted core. We want to understand where it came from and how it works."
"Black Sigil, Cipher Rangers, and Iron Squad will begin searching for the other six jewels. They will also try to find out more about the intruders who stole the first one."
"Meanwhile, other powerful teams like Eternal Wings, Divatrix, The Coil, Redwake, Deadwatch, the Prime Heroes, Metal Impact, and the Wave Crew alongside the royal gaurds and some other younger groups with potential will stay on standby across the kingdom. If anything dangerous happens, they will be ready to protect the people."
Then, the King looked at the Rising Heroes and the Grand Party.
"Not everyone that I mentioned know the whole truth about the mission to avoid any panic, especially if it gets spread it in public it would be more trouble. You all saw the corrupted core with your own eyes. You know how strong and dangerous it was. That is why I want you to be ready if more of these appear. We don't have proof yet that other corrupted cores exist, but we must prepare."
He continued, "The Grand Party will guide and train the Rising Heroes. I chose the Rising Heroes because, even though you are not yet SS or S Rank, you've shown great courage. You faced a monster that even strong adventurers would have feared. And you also did great during the attack from the intruders. You also have a lot of talent, and I believe you can grow even stronger."
The Rising Heroes stood proudly. Lila placed her hand on her sword, standing tall. Sera smiled gently but her eyes showed determination. Doran clenched his fists, ready for any challenge. Drakar stayed quiet, nodding firmly. Fizzle looked a bit nervous but excited, while Adrian stood by their side with pride and support.
"I want you all to travel north," the King said. "Train, grow, and learn from the Grand Party. When the time comes, you must be ready."
The Grand Party , strong, experienced, and respected , gave nods of agreement. They accepted their role as mentors without hesitation.
The King looked around one last time. His voice lowered slightly, but it carried even more weight.
"This mission is not only about now… it is about the future of our kingdom. We do not know what dangers are coming, but we must be ready."
Everyone in the hall, from seasoned warriors to young adventurers, understood the importance of what was being said.
"We accept," Lila said, stepping forward.
"We're ready," added Doran with a confident grin.
"We won't let the kingdom down," said Sera softly, her hands folded in front of her.
One by one, they all agreed. The Grand Party nodded in approval. Even the usually quiet Drakar added, "Let's do it."
And with that, the new mission had officially begun. Everyone would now go their separate ways, chasing clues, training, and preparing for the unknown.
But none of them knew what waited for them beyond the horizon.
Something dark... something new... was coming.
And this was only the beginning...