Re:Crafting in Another World
Chapter 120: Chaos

Chapter 120: Chaos

The wind howled across the stone path just outside the castle walls. Torches flickered. Shadows danced.

Shennong stood quietly, his back to Sir Juno. He had said all he needed to say.

But the sharp shhhk of a sword being drawn shattered the tense silence.

He heard it—clear, clean, unmistakable.

Without turning his body, Shennong tilted his head slightly, just enough to glance over his shoulder. A cold glint passed through his eyes.

"So... you’ve chosen to end it here," he muttered, his voice low but laced with steel.

Juno stepped forward, his boots crunching against the gravel. The blade in his hand gleamed under the pale moonlight.

"You really don’t know who you’re dealing with," Juno said, his voice filled with contempt. "Acting all high and mighty, like you’re above the rest of us. I don’t know who you truly are or where you’re from, but it won’t matter once you’re dead."

"Is that so?" Shennong replied calmly.

Juno didn’t stop. He advanced slowly, one deliberate step at a time, his grip tight on the hilt.

"I’ve faced monsters, men, and mages," Juno continued. "But people like you... people who play games in the shadows, who dare threaten the order—"

"You think this is a game?" Shennong interrupted, finally turning just his head enough to meet Juno’s eyes. His expression was unreadable. "Then let me show you what happens when you choose to play."

Suddenly, with no warning, Shennong raised his hand and dropped something onto the ground between them.

Clink.

Juno instinctively took a step back and narrowed his eyes at the object.

It was round—like a disk. A strange metallic circle inscribed with glowing sigils. Power pulsed from it. Not visible, but unmistakable. The air around it felt... heavy.

"What the hell is that?" Juno muttered, his gaze locked on it.

"A little something I cooked up," Shennong said. "Normally, it would only activate in a specific environment. But I’ve been... tinkering. I’ve changed its behavior. Tailored it for this moment."

He took a slow step back, away from the object. "It’s a doorway, in a way. A glimpse into the fate you’ve chosen."

"You think I’m afraid of your toys?" Juno spat. "You’re just stalling!"

He lunged forward, hoping to strike Shennong down before the artifact could activate.

But it was too late.

The ground trembled.

The air distorted.

And then, the disk vibrated violently before glowing a deep azure blue.

CRACK!

A bolt of light erupted from it, slamming into the ground and tearing the earth open. Rocks shattered. A blast of cold wind burst forth, followed by the sound of grinding stone.

Juno skidded to a halt, his eyes wide.

From the center of the magical circle, a creature emerged.

It was tall—towering over any man. Its body was smooth but dense, built from deep blue minerals that shimmered in the light. The texture... the color... Juno recognized it instantly.

"The same ore as the dungeon..." he whispered. "No... this is—!"

The golem let out a soundless roar as it fully materialized, eyes glowing like molten sapphires.

"You’d better deal with it quickly," Shennong said casually, already turning away. "Or it’s going to go berserk. And when it does... well, you might not be the only one it kills."

"You bastard!" Juno shouted, raising his sword. "You think you can just walk away from this!?"

"I don’t care what I can get away with," Shennong replied without looking back. "I’ll take the information I need... by force, if necessary."

The golem stepped forward, shaking the ground with each footfall. Its eyes locked onto Juno, as if sensing the threat in his stance.

Juno raised his blade, gritting his teeth. "Come on then!"

The golem struck first—its arm swinging like a falling tree. Juno barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side and slicing upward. His blade scraped against the mineral hide but barely left a scratch.

"Damn it...!" Juno hissed.

Behind him, Shennong kept walking—step by calm step, leaving the chaos behind. The sounds of battle echoed behind him: the clash of steel, the rumble of earth, the roar of summoned fury.

But he didn’t turn back.

He didn’t need to.

Juno would be kept busy. More importantly, he’d get a taste of what he was really up against.

The golem roared again, and Juno shouted as he launched a flurry of strikes, trying to pierce the creature’s defenses. It wasn’t working.

"IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK TEST?!" Juno shouted. "COME BACK HERE, DAMN YOU!"

But Shennong only smiled to himself.

"You chose this path, Sir Juno," he muttered. "Let’s see how far your pride can carry you."

***

The castle was in a panic. Servants ran through the halls, guards barked orders, and nobles whispered among themselves with pale faces.

Christina’s boots echoed against the stone floor as she hurried down a corridor with Shennong by her side. The air was thick with tension. They had just heard the terrifying news—a beast had somehow breached the castle walls and caused havoc in the western wing.

"A beast... inside the castle," Christina muttered. "This timing... it’s too convenient. Why did it appear now during our meeting with crown?"

She shot a look at the man walking beside her. Shennong’s face was unreadable, but the corner of his lips curled ever so slightly.

"Don’t tell me..." she narrowed her eyes. "Did you have something to do with this?"

Shennong chuckled softly.

"I had everything to do with it."

Christina stopped in her tracks. "What?"

He turned to her, his golden eyes calm. "It’s time you stopped chasing shadows, Christina. You decide what you want to choose. You can either follow greatness and join me or you could rot in this boring orders and nobles whom you’re trying so hard to impress. I won’t force you so become who you want to be."

She grabbed his arm, her grip firm because she realized he was no longer joking. This man was truly planning something. "What are you planning, Shennong?"

"I’m doing what I have to do," he said, his voice low and steady. "And I think... this is no longer a secret I can hide. The pieces are moving, whether we want them to or not."

His gaze turned distant. "But I’ll do my best not to harm Cassandra’s trust in me. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this mess, but I think she will be better off with me than these nobels that doesn’t give a ratshit about her."

Christina swallowed. "You’re scaring me."

"I know," he said quietly. "But you’ll understand soon."

Before she could ask more, Shennong was already walking away, his silhouette disappearing into the misty night beyond the castle gates.

The Next Morning

The sun rose on a day that seemed peaceful, but it was anything but.

Sir Juno stood before a line of knights in the castle courtyard. His cape flapped in the morning breeze, eyes like steel.

"The golem was destroyed," he announced. "But this is a declaration. Shennong, the dark sorcerer, made it clear—he’s willing to threaten innocent lives. We must act swiftly."

A squire brought him a scroll. Juno unrolled it and signed it with a flourish.

"This is a warrant for Shennong’s arrest."

The knights murmured among themselves.

"We can’t risk further chaos. The Ducal lands of Marciel will be under protection. Young Lady Christina is to be placed under house arrest immediately."

He turned sharply to another officer. "Send troops to Percival Barony. Place Lady Cassandra under watch and bring back Lord Jamie Percival. I want every thread tied before this turns into wildfire."

In the east wing of the castle, two guards stood outside Lady Christina’s chamber, their spears crossed in front of the door.

"I don’t get it," one of them whispered. "Why’s Sir Juno so rattled? He looked like he saw a ghost."

The other guard shrugged. "He took some intreset in Percival barony after that dungeon appeared. Maybe this is personal."

"You think Young Lady Christina’s involved in all this?"

"Who knows? She’s always been weirdly close to that guy."

As they spoke, a maid arrived with a tray of food. She smiled politely.

"Breakfast for Lady Christina."

The guards nodded and opened the door.

And froze.

The room was empty.

The food tray clattered to the floor.

"She’s gone—!"

Elsewhere, deep in the tower of mages, Archmage Mandira stormed about her chamber, robes swirling behind her as books and scrolls floated in the air from her earlier outburst.

"He came to me," she muttered, voice trembling with frustration. "Just yesterday. Shennong... That damned man."

She recalled the moment vividly.

He had walked into her chambers uninvited, as casually as if they were old friends. His smile was calm, but his words were like a dagger pressed to her throat.

"Expect chaos, Archmage Mandira. The kind only Sir Juno is foolish enough to invite."

"Is that a threat?" she’d asked coldly.

She hated Sir Juno as much as the next person, but that didn’t mean she would let any external party threaten his life.

"No. A warning."

Mandira rubbed her temples.

"I told him. I warned him. If he becomes an enemy of the realm, then he becomes my enemy."

She looked at the crystal orb on her desk, its glow flickering erratically.

"Maybe... Maybe I should’ve put him under arrest when I had the chance...Why didn’t i do that? Why did I feel like that man won’t do anything to us?"

A knock came at her door.

Before she could answer, a young apprentice burst in, breathless.

"M-Master Mandira! News from the outer provinces!"

Mandira’s heart skipped.

"What is it?"

The apprentice looked pale. "Entrances... dungeon entrances... They’re appearing all over Sturgon!"

The scroll in his hand trembled as he handed it to her.

Mandira read it in silence, her face darkening with every word.

"Newly manifested dungeon openings... unnatural magic... terrain warping...?"

She clenched the scroll.

"So it’s begun," she whispered. "He really went ahead and did something,"

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