Prologue: Silent Crimson

The mine was supposed to be safe.

The vanguard and ranger units of the Crimson Blades guild had spent weeks battling their way through the labyrinth of tunnels, facing deadly beasts and cunning traps.

After a month, mine AD-2789 was declared free from threats.

Then came the treasure collection party led by James Moore.

A group of low-level adventurers whose job was to come in last and transport all the spoils of the expedition back to the real world.

They packed their bags with torches, ropes, and tools, and set off for the mine.

They never came back.

No one knows what happened to them. No one heard their screams or saw their blood. No one found their bodies or their belongings. They simply vanished, as if they had never existed.

Some say they were attacked by an A-Class monster, a rare and powerful creature that lurked in the depths of the mine. A creature that the vanguard and ranger units had missed or ignored, hoping that it would not bother them.

Some say they were betrayed by the Crimson Blades guild, who had set them up as a sacrifice to appease the monster or to cover up some dark secret. A secret that involved the true nature of the treasure, or the origin of the mine, or something even more sinister.

Some say they were cursed by the mine itself, which had a will of its own and did not tolerate intruders. A will that manifested in strange phenomena, such as shifting walls, disappearing passages, and eerie whispers. A will that lured the adventurers into a trap, where they met their doom.

No one knows for sure what happened to them. The only thing that is certain is that they are gone, and that the mine is silent.

The mine is silent, but not empty.