Knowledge Is Power: The Last Reader

The team ran for their lives.

They burst out of the tomb entrance like they were being chased by the entire undead army of the Dead Man’s Wonderland—which, in a way, they were. The Shiny’s laughter echoed behind them, fading slowly as they put distance between themselves and the nightmare they’d barely escaped.

"Don’t stop!" Kelly shouted, his voice ragged with exertion. "Keep running! It might follow us!"

"It’s not following us!" Aria gasped, her lungs burning. "It got what it wanted! or maybe something is stopping it"

"How do you know?!"

"Because we’re not dead!"

"That doesn’t mean it won’t come after us!"

"KELLY, I’M RUNNING AS FAST AS I CAN!"

They ran through the forest, through the fields, through the outskirts of the capital, until they finally collapsed in front of the Adventurer’s Guild. The building loomed before them, solid and familiar, and Aria had never been so happy to see anything in her life.

"We made it," she gasped, lying flat on the ground. "We actually made it."

"Barely," Kelme wheezed, falling beside her. "I thought I was going to die."

"You thought you were going to die? I thought I was going to die AND I’m the one who tricked it!"

"Wait, back up a little, gave it the key?" Bunny asked, her voice carrying a note of disbelief. "The key to its lair? what will it even use it for?"

"It was the only way to get Kelly out alive!"

"That’s... that’s actually a good point," Kelly admitted. "I’d be dead if she hadn’t."

"You’d be dead if I hadn’t saved you from the obvious trap earlier," Bunny muttered.

"You’d be dead if I hadn’t warned you about the Shiny in the first place," Kelme added.

"You’d all be dead if I hadn’t blasted that wall open," Aria finished.

They lay there in the dirt, staring up at the sky, and for a moment, no one said anything.

Then Kelly sat up, his expression shifting to something more determined.

"Come on," he said. "We need to report this. The guild master needs to know about the Shiny."

"Can’t it wait?" Aria asked. "I’m tired. I’m hungry. I want to sleep for a week."

"No. It can’t wait. The Shiny is dangerous. It’s going to get stronger. It’s going to hunt again. We need to report it now."

Aria groaned, but she forced herself to stand. "Fine. But I’m going to complain the whole time."

"I expect nothing less."

---

The guild master’s office was exactly as Aria remembered it: cluttered, chaotic, and filled with the distinct smell of stale coffee and regret. Dammy Balogun sat behind his desk, his expression shifting from mild curiosity to genuine concern as they entered.

"Kelly," he said, his voice carrying a note of surprise. "Bunny. You’re alive."

"Barely," Kelly said. "We found something in the tomb. Something dangerous."

Dammy leaned forward. "What kind of something?"

"A Shiny. A fully evolved Shiny. It’s been living in the tomb for years, feeding off the emotions of adventurers who went in and never came out."

Dammy’s face went pale. "A Shiny. Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. It mocked us. Played with us. Herded us into its lair. It’s intelligent, powerful, and it’s been getting stronger."

Dammy sat back, his expression grim. "This is bad. This is very bad. Shinies are rare, but they’re incredibly dangerous. They can wipe out entire teams of experienced adventurers."

"It almost wiped us out," Bunny said. "And we had the best scout in the guild."

"I’m not the best scout," Kelly muttered.

"You’re the best scout I know."

"That’s not saying much."

"It’s saying a lot. You’re the only scout I trust."

---

Dammy listened to the full report, his expression growing grimmer with each detail. By the time they finished, he looked like he’d aged ten years.

"This is worse than I thought," he said. "A Shiny that strong, that intelligent, that’s been feeding for years— the only reason it might have showed it’s self now is because it’s confident that we can’t do anything about it anymore. "

"Then we need to find a way," Aria said. "We can’t just leave it there. It’s going to keep hunting. It’s going to kill more adventurers. also I kind really want it’s drop now."

"I know. That’s why I’m going to put together a new team. A specialized team. People who can handle something like this. also the team would split the drop so don’t even think about it."

"A new team?" Kelly asked, his voice carrying a note of concern. "What about us?"

"You’ll be part of it. You’re the only ones who’ve seen it up close. You know what it’s capable of." Dammy paused, his expression shifting to something almost apologetic. "But I’m also going to need to bring in some heavy hitters. Gold rank adventurers. People who can actually fight a Shiny and survive. people who would put Aria and Kelme to shame."

"That’s... that’s actually a good plan, also we’re already in shame, that tomb was waaay above our pay grade." Aria admitted.

"Yes we told you so... maybe next time you’ll listen to me, I have good plans and commen sense, It’s one of the benefits of being guild master. they didn’t give me this job because I am pretty."

---

The new team was assembled over the next few days.

Aria and Kelme were there, of course. Kelly and Bunny too. But they were joined by others—experienced adventurers with Gold ranks and silver tongues and the kind of confidence that came from surviving a hundred near-death experiences.

"So," Aria said, looking around the briefing room at the assembled adventurers. "This is the team that’s going to kill the Shiny."

"That’s the plan," Kelly said.

"They look... capable."

"They are. They’re the best the guild has to offer."

"Then why do they look so nervous?"

"Because they know what they’re up against. Shinies are terrifying."

---

The briefing was long and detailed. Kelly led the presentation, his voice steady despite the fear in his eyes.

"The Shiny is a mimic that has evolved beyond its natural state. It’s intelligent, manipulative, and incredibly powerful. It feeds on emotions—fear, greed, hope, all of it. The more we feel, the stronger it gets."

"So the key is to stay calm," one of the Gold rank adventurers said. "Don’t give it anything to feed on."

"Easier said than done. It’s very good at making people feel things."

"What about its weaknesses? Every monster has weaknesses."

"It’s still a mimic. magic can hurt it. But it’s resistant to most forms of magic. Physical attacks are more effective, but you have to get close. And getting close to a Shiny mimic is dangerous."

"That’s all very helpful, Kelly," another adventurer said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome. I try."

---

The team set out the next morning.

Aria walked beside Kelly, her expression thoughtful. "So what’s the plan? We go in, we find the Shiny, we kill it?"

"Essentially."

"That’s a terrible plan."

"It’s the only plan we have."

"We could at least try to come up with a better one."

"Better how? It’s a monster. We kill it. That’s the plan."

"I feel like there should be more steps."

"There are. Step one: find Shiny. Step two: kill Shiny. Step three: don’t die."

"That’s three steps."

"Exactly. It’s a three-step plan."

"That’s still a terrible plan."

"It’s the only plan we have. we don’t have many options with a shiny, his mututed, he has unique physiology and skills. anything we know about mimics is usless against it."

---

They reached the tomb entrance, and Aria felt a familiar knot of fear in her stomach.

"Ready?" Kelly asked.

"No. But let’s do it anyway."

They stepped through the entrance, and the door slammed shut behind them.

"Great," Aria said. "It’s going to be one of those days."

"It’s always one of those days," Kelme muttered. "That’s the problem with being an adventurer. Every day is one of those days."

"I hate it here," Aria said.

"I know. But we have a job to do."

"Fine. Let’s do the job. kill or be killed."

---

The tomb was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that meant something was watching.

"Stay alert," Kelly whispered. "It’s here. I can feel it."

"Where?" Aria asked.

"Everywhere. That’s the problem. It’s always everywhere. like it’s moving in the walls, I think it cas use phasing and teleportation."

The Shiny’s voice echoed around them, soft and seductive.

"Welcome back, little adventurers. I’ve been waiting for you."

"We’re not here to play games," Aria shouted. "We’re here to kill you."

"Oh, I know. And I’m here to eat you. It’s going to be a lovely time. but first I’ll make sure you feel all kind of things, things that would give you the best flavor in the world. tell me little girl do you know how fear tast? because it tast like heaven on earth."

The Shiny lunged, and the battle began.

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