The vanguard, a man named Park, adjusted his grip on his heavy shield. He stood between Kang Min and the shepherd boy. Behind him, two mages prepared spells of restraint. The dark forest released another wave of shadow wolves. These creatures ran on four legs and possessed bodies made of dark mana. They did not bark. They hissed as they entered the village square. The players were forced to divide their attention. Half of the group turned to face the encroaching wolves. The other half maintained their weapons toward Kang Min.

Kang Min stepped forward. He did not wait for the players to strike. He moved his blade in a short, controlled arc. The edge struck the center of Park’s shield. The vibration of the impact traveled through the metal and into the vanguard’s arms. Park stumbled back. Kang Min did not follow up with a lethal blow. He swung his leg in a low sweep. The kick connected with Park’s ankle. The man fell to the stone ground. A shadow wolf jumped from a nearby roof. It aimed for Kang Min’s shoulder. Without looking, Kang Min reached back and grabbed the creature by its throat. He squeezed until the mana structure of the neck failed. He threw the dissipating remains toward a mage who was casting a binding spell. The mage flinched, and the spell failed to activate.

The square became a mess of shouting and clashing steel. Lycanthropes reached the podium. They used their claws to tear through the players’ defenses. One climber shouted as a wolf bit into his thigh. The other defenders were forced to engage the monsters to stay alive. They were caught in a tactical vice. They had to prevent the wolves from reaching the center while simultaneously guarding against Kang Min’s advance.

"Focus on the wolves!" the lead vanguard shouted. "He’s trying to reach the boy!"

Kang Min pushed through the crowd. A swordsman tried to block his path with a vertical strike. Kang Min stepped to the side. He used the hilt of his sword to strike the back of the man’s neck. The swordsman’s vision blurred, and he slumped to his knees. Kang Min moved past him without a second glance. The shepherd boy continued to scream. He held onto the edge of the stone well. Tears ran down his face. He watched the slaughter of the wolves and the movements of the players with wide eyes.

Three more players formed a wall in front of the well. They held spears. They thrust the points toward Kang Min’s chest. Kang Min pivoted his body. The spearheads passed through the air centimeters from his ribs. He grabbed the shafts of two spears and pulled with his full strength. The players were yanked forward, losing their balance. He used his palms to strike their chests in rapid succession. The impact knocked the wind out of their lungs. They fell back, gasping for breath.

A massive lycanthrope, larger than the others, broke through the outer line. It stood four meters tall. Its fur was matted with old blood. It ignored the other players and charged directly at the group surrounding the boy. The defenders were forced to turn their shields toward the beast. The lycanthrope swung a massive claw. It struck a shield, sending the player sliding across the stone floor. Chaos increased. The players were fighting for their lives against the monsters while trying to monitor Kang Min’s position. The shadow wolves moved in high numbers. They filled the streets and covered the rooftops. The sun was completely gone. The only light came from the mana lanterns and the glowing red eyes of the predators.

Kang Min saw an opening. He moved toward the well. A mage fired a bolt of frost at his feet. The ground turned into ice instantly. Kang Min did not slip. He drove the point of his blade into the ice to maintain his center of gravity. He used the tension to launch himself forward.

"Get away from him!" a female climber yelled. She swung a heavy mace at Kang Min’s head.

Kang Min ducked. He struck the woman’s wrist with his gauntlet. The mace fell to the stone. He shoved her aside, sending her into the path of a lunging shadow wolf. She had to engage the wolf, removing her from his path. He was now five meters from the boy. The boy’s crying increased in volume. It was a high, piercing sound. Kang Min noticed a pattern. Whenever the boy’s voice reached a certain pitch, the wolves outside the village grew more aggressive. Their speed increased. The timing was consistent. The creatures did not attack the boy. They moved around him, focusing their hunger entirely on the players and Kang Min.

More lycanthropes entered the square. They jumped onto the players who were already dealing with injuries. The defenders were losing ground. Their stamina bars were flashing red. Their movements were becoming slow and heavy.

"He’s going to kill him!" the vanguard Park shouted. He had regained his feet. He ran toward the well, his shield held high. The other players joined him. They surrounded the well in a tight circle. They held their weapons out, forming a barrier of steel. They were bleeding from multiple wounds caused by the wolves. Their armor was cracked and stained. They looked at Kang Min with a mixture of hatred and total exhaustion.

Kang Min stopped his advance. He stood ten meters away. He was covered in the black fluids of the dead wolves. His breathing was steady. He did not show signs of fatigue. He looked at the timer on the system screen. Midnight was approaching. The wolves sensed the climax of the battle. They stopped their individual attacks and gathered into a massive pack. They formed a circle around the entire group at the center of the village. Hundreds of glowing red eyes watched the climbers.

"This is the end," the lead vanguard said. His voice was thick with desperation. "We will all die here because of you. You broke the formation. You attacked the villagers. You are the reason the defense is failing."

Kang Min did not respond to the accusation. The boy looked over the shoulders of the defenders. He looked at Kang Min. For a split second, the expression of fear vanished from the boy’s face. A cold, mocking look replaced it. He opened his mouth to scream again.

[Skill - Exchange is in use!]

He targeted a man sitting on the edge of the well, right next to the boy’s hand.

The players saw Kang Min standing ten meters away. Then, in the duration of a heartbeat, he was gone. In his place was the man on the ground.

Kang Min appeared on the edge of the well. He was now inside the defensive circle. He was behind the players. He was standing directly over the boy. The climbers turned around, their faces filled with shock. They were too slow to react. Their heavy armor and extreme exhaustion prevented them from swinging their weapons in time.

Kang Min grabbed the boy by the throat. He lifted his blade.

"No!" the mage screamed.

Kang Min drove the blade through the boy’s chest. The boy did not bleed red. A thick, viscous black fluid leaked from the wound. His body began to crack like drying clay. A high-frequency screech erupted from the boy’s throat, but it was not human. It was the sound of a dying monster.

Instantly, the shadow wolves in the square stopped moving. They stood frozen for a second. Then, one by one, they began to vibrate. Every wolf in the village and the forest exploded. They did not leave remains. They transformed into massive clouds of black smoke that rose into the night sky. The lycanthropes followed. Their physical bodies dissolved into the same dark mist. Within seconds, the hundreds of monsters that had been threatening to slaughter the climbers were gone.

The village became silent. The only sound was the heavy breathing of the exhausted players and the wind blowing through the empty houses. The boy’s body turned into ash in Kang Min’s hand. The ash scattered in the wind. A massive holographic system screen appeared in the center of the square. It glowed with a bright gold light.

「Main Scenario: The Fable of the Shepherd’s Deceit - COMPLETED」

「Clear Result: True Hidden Condition Met.」

「Condition: Termination of the Summoner (The Shepherd Boy) and the Parasitic Hosts (The Villagers).」

「Rewards are being distributed to the participant who met the condition.**」

The players stood in stunned silence. They looked at the houses where Kang Min had killed the villagers earlier. They saw the truth now. The bodies of the innocent NPCs were also dissolving into black smoke. They had never been humans. They were parasitic organisms that lived off the mana of the summoner. The fable had been a lie. The survival condition was a distraction to ensure the players died from exhaustion while protecting the very thing that was killing them.

Kang Min wiped the black fluid from his blade.