I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 982: Setting Sun

Arty and the four adventurers pressed onward through the winding forest paths, their boots crunching against roots and fallen leaves.

The day came and went, yet they were still not far from the city walls. Arty could still glimpse the palace’s towering spires and even taller, the slender silhouette of the Archmage’s Tower piercing the sky.

"We’re not far from the city," she remarked, "but it feels like we’ve been walking for kilometers."

"That’s the forest’s trick," Jan replied with an easy grin. "The trees hide the real distance and you keep looking around instead of ahead."

Arty chuckled. "It’s too beautiful not to look at."

Esther, walking beside her, glanced sideways. The girl’s bright eyes and unguarded smile made her seem almost fragile and even adorable even. If it not for the knowledge of the destructive power of Magic she carried within her body. Few would believe how dangerous she truly was.

They walked on. The forest around them was still calm, the air cool and clean.

The sunlight filtered in golden shafts through the canopy, dappling the moss-covered ground.

Occasionally, they passed under ancient oaks with roots thicker than a man’s torso, or between clusters of ferns that whispered as the wind stirred them.

Birds called from somewhere unseen and the faint hum of insects blended into the peaceful rhythm of their march.

As the day wore on, the sun began to decline, its light softening into amber hues.

The shadows of the trees stretched long. The forest slowly shifting into its evening quiet.

They eventually came upon a gentle hill rising above the tree line, offering an open view to the west. Jan definitely intended for them to be here at this point. His ability as a ranger made him able to use certain way through the forest that nobody could see.

"We should rest here," Jan suggested, pointing toward the horizon. "Watch the sunset, then eat dinner."

"Alright," Arty agreed with a small nod. Inwardly, she thought this was less like an adventuring mission and more like a pleasant holiday.

They laid out their things, setting up a small picnic again like before in the lake.

From the hilltop, the west opened before them. Arty saw a vast expanse of rolling forest that seemed to melt into a distant mountain range. The sun hung low like a brilliant molten disc that painted the clouds in shades of crimson, gold, and red.

Each passing minute deepened the colors. The sky transforming into a living canvas. The treetops below caught the fading light. Their leaves glowing in fiery orange tones before darkening into shadow.

They watched quietly with peaceful feelings as the sun sank behind the mountains, its final rays spilling like liquid gold over the peaks.

The air grew cooler, scented faintly with pine and earth.

The first stars began to shimmer faintly in the deepening blue sky above them, and for a moment the world felt utterly still.

---

Behind them, just a few meters away, concealed beneath the shadows of an ancient oak and layers of carefully woven spells, someone was watching.

The intruder didn’t rely solely on the forest’s natural cover of the thick foliage, tangled vines, and mossy trunks, but he also wrapped himself in a cloak of Magic spell that was designed to bend light, dull his sound, and containing his smell. Basically what the spell did was erasing his presence from sight and hearing, and smelling.

Only his sharp and predatory eyes could be seen from beneath the dark hood and mask.

He gritted his teeth in irritation. Of all the luck, this was not his lucky one.

The girl he was tasked to follow wasn’t alone. She was with Jan’s party, which is the strongest adventuring group in the kingdom. That complicated things.

Following one target was easy. Shadowing a group of elites adventurers who have countless experience behind them, without detection was a different game entirely!

Maintaining this concealment spell against their sharp senses was exhausting. Every step and every breath had to be adjusted so as not to disturb the delicate weave. And with every minute that passed, the spell drank deeper from his reserves of Magic energy.

"I should demand more payment for this", he thought bitterly. "They didn’t say anything about her being with them. This is burning through my reserves faster than I expected!"

Still, the job was the job.

For now, everything was going smoothly. The girl hadn’t noticed. Neither had Jan or the others. They seemed to be enjoying the view, making camp atop the hill.

That gave him a small window to breathe.

He silently backed away, his steps as light as falling leaves, until the noise of their quiet conversation faded.

Once he was a safe distance away, he slipped behind a cluster of thick brambles, loosened his hood, and removed the mask.

A man’s face emerged. He was a man around forty years old, weathered with faint wrinkles etched by years of work in the shadows.

His body was short, lean, and wiry. It was the ideal frame for slipping through crowds, climbing walls, or vanishing into forests. An assassin’s and stalker’s build.

From his satchel, he pulled out a small strip of parchment and a tightly rolled scroll.

He pressed two fingers against the parchment, channeling a thin thread of Magic into its surface. Lines of glowing script began to form. It was not ink but symbols made of pure Magic energy.

The letters pulsed briefly before stabilizing into a report that containing location, time, and the current situation of Arty and the party.

When the message was complete, he held it up, and with a final spark from his fingertips, the parchment dissolved into a puff of golden motes.

It was gone in an instant, carried directly to whoever awaited it.

The man exhaled slowly, his sharp eyes lifting toward the hilltop where the party still sat under the orange glow of the setting sun.

His mission was far from over. And now, he knew that it was about to get harder.

"Time to get back to work."

He slip back his mask and hood.

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