With Gaius Stonefist’s help, Ludger finally finishes the stone bridge. The moment it’s done, he pushes forward and reaches the runic golems labyrinth… but the road to it is already trying to kill him.

Along the way, a giant sea monster rises and nearly tears the Ironhand Guild’s fleet apart, turning a “professional expedition” into a desperate scramble for survival. It’s the kind of threat that doesn’t care about titles or contracts. They make it through, but only barely, and the message is clear: the ocean doesn’t negotiate. Moreover, they only find more questions than answers inside the labyrinth.

As if that isn’t enough, when Ludger returns home, another problem is waiting, one with paper instead of fangs.

An invitation to the capital. A business proposal. Something that could be enormously beneficial… or a trap dressed in silk. Ludger can’t tell yet. He only knows the feeling in his gut is the same one he gets before a fight.

Because he won’t have peace of mind close to monsters. And he won’t have peace of mind close to the people of the capital, either.