Story

“RUN!!”

Luca ran.

Not the cool kind of run either. Not the “hero runs into battle” run. This was the “if I stop, I become snake food” run.

He sprinted down a narrow avenue in the port city of Granis, boots slapping wet stone. Behind him, a low-level snake—big, ugly, and way too fast—slid after him with a happy hiss.

“Why are you smiling?!” Luca yelled over his shoulder. “Snakes should not be happy!”

The snake did not answer. It only chased harder.

Luca turned a corner and almost crashed into a street cart. A man on the cart shouted something about fault and “watch where you’re going!” Luca waved without slowing down. “Sorry! I’ll pay later!”

The problem was: Luca did not have time. Not even at least one second to breathe.

He looked up. A tall iron gate. The guild’s lamp sign above it: Anchor & Spark.

“YES! HOME BASE!” Luca shouted.

He slammed the gate open and jumped inside—

—and the snake followed.

Inside the hall, his partner was sitting at the desk like it was a normal day. That partner was not a warrior. He was a clerk—a young trainee with fingers marked with ink, and a face that said “I have seen it all, and I am tired.”

The clerk did not stand up. He did not panic.

He just looked at Luca, then looked at the snake, and said, “So… you happen to do this every morning now?”

“NO!” Luca gasped. “This is special! A special ‘please save me’ day!”

The clerk opened a drawer and calmly took out a small bell and a thin wire. He placed the wire across the floor like a joke.

The snake slid forward—fast—right into the wire.

The wire snapped up, flipped the snake, and slammed it into a wooden post with a loud thump.

Luca blinked. “That was… that was awesome.”

The clerk shrugged. “I observe patterns. You chase monsters.”

The snake shook its head, angry, and tried to dive under the desk.

The clerk tapped a sign on the desk: LOCK THE DRAWER AFTER USE.

He opened a small side panel in the floor, shoved the snake into it like it was trash, and shut it with a click. “lock.”

Silence.

Luca stood there, breathing hard. Then he smiled. “Okay. That was close. But I’m fine. See? Still innocent. No snake bite.”

“Innocent is not the word I would use,” the clerk said. Then he slid a folder across the wood. “Now that your warm-up fight is done, we have real work.”

Luca stared at the folder. “Can I get a massage first?”

“No.”

“A snack?”

“Also no.”

Luca groaned. “You’re a monster.”

“A monster with a job.” The clerk pointed to the first page. “Read it. And try not to make fun of the handwriting. The writer might be dead.”

Luca’s smile dropped just a little. He looked down.

INCIDENT REPORT — GUILD-AFFILIATED laboratory / Granis Outskirts

“Alarm triggered at 00:04,” Luca read aloud. “Response team arrival at 00:12.”

“A delay,” the clerk said. “Eight minutes is a long time when the air is bad.”

Luca frowned. “The judgement says ‘equipment failure.’”

“The judgement is forged,” the clerk said. “Someone did a rewrite of the log. New ink on old paper. You can see it if you’re not acting like your eyesight is perfect.”

Luca crossed his arms. “My eyesight is fine.”

“Your pride is not.” The clerk pushed a small pouch into Luca’s hand. “Take this. supplement tablets. Use it in addition to your brain.”

“Hey!”

“If you get dizzy, take one. Also, don’t be dramatic. We need to finish this mission. We have authority from the guild.”

Luca pocketed the pouch. “Alright. Let’s go. I’m ready.”

“You were ready to become snake lunch,” the clerk said. “But sure.”

They moved through the damp street. A fresh crowd was gathering near the market. Someone said a rich merchant was coming in on a fancy cruise, and the audience was already cheering like it was an anniversary event.

“People will cheer for anything,” Luca said.

“They cheer for money,” the clerk replied. “That is economics.”

“I thought economics was boring.”

“It is. But it still works.”

They reached the laboratory gates. A security officer waited there, lantern held high, face tired.

“Luca?” the officer asked. “Anchor & Spark?”

“Yes,” Luca said. “What’s the situation?”

The officer swallowed. “carbon dioxide leak. Below the ground. People collapsed. One died on the stairs before we could drag him out.”

death.

Luca’s face went serious for half a second—then he shook it off. “Okay. We save who we can, and we catch the bad guy. Easy.”

The clerk sighed. “You just jinxed it.”

The officer led them inside. Pipes ran along the ceiling. Signs warned of hazards. The air felt wrong.

“Mask,” the officer ordered. “If you feel dizzy, you stop. Do not be a hero.”

“No problem!” Luca said, and put it on. He pulled the strap tight with a quick knot—small and careful. “See? I’m getting better.”

The clerk wiped soot across his cheeks like dark makeup. “If something watches from the dark,” he said, “let it see a shadow, not a face.”

They went down.

At the bottom, the corridor split. One path led toward the air controls. Another path vanished into storage rooms.

The clerk pointed to a control box. “The air system should be able to fill the ducts with fresh air. If it works.”

Luca flipped the switch.

Nothing.

The officer cursed. “Power is cut.”

“Or rewritten,” the clerk said. “Someone did a rewrite in the circuit layout too.”

“So it’s not an accident,” Luca said.

The officer nodded. “I’m not supposed to say this, but… I think it involve more than an accident. We found a seal broken and put back. And foot marks that don’t match any of my staff.”

“Cool,” Luca said. “Bad guys. I like bad guys. Bad guys have loot.”

“Bad guys also stab you,” the clerk said. “Remember that.”

They followed a faint hiss into a storage hall. A label burned in the lantern light:

nuclear SAMPLE — SEALED

Luca swallowed. “Uh… nuclear sounds bad.”

“It is bad,” the clerk said. “Do not touch it.”

The seal was cracked. The clerk ran his fingers over it. “Someone took something small.”

“A fragment,” Luca said. “So the thief is looking for a combination of parts.”

“Yes,” the clerk said. “And we need to seek the next part at least as fast as they do.”

Above them, something moved in the vent. Not footsteps—sliding.

Then it appeared.

A masked man dropped down, holding a dagger and a small flute. Behind him, another low-level snake slid out, ready to bite.

Luca pointed. “HEY! That guy! He looks like trouble!”

The clerk pointed back. “Great. Your direction is amazing.”

The masked man spoke in a stiff, formal voice. “Leave. This does not concern you.”

Luca grinned. “Oh, it concerns me. Because I’m gonna stop you. That’s my job.”

The man raised the flute.

Luca moved first.

He rushed in, sword up, and the snake snapped at his leg. Luca jumped—barely—and landed on a crate.

“Nice!” Luca said. “I can jump now! My power level increased!”

“That is not how power works!” the clerk shouted.

The masked man attacked. Luca blocked. Sparks flew.

The snake tried to bite again. Luca kicked it away, but it came back.

The clerk yelled, “Stop playing around! Judge the fight!”

Luca shouted back, “I am trying to judge! It’s hard!”

The clerk grabbed a metal rod and smacked the snake’s head. The snake shook and backed off.

“See?” the clerk said. “Teamwork. This is not your retirement party.”

“Retirement?” Luca said while blocking another strike. “I’m not even old!”

“Exactly,” the clerk said. “So don’t die.”

The masked man stepped back and threw a small metal ball. It hit the floor and gave off a strange signal smell—sharp and bitter.

Luca coughed. “Ugh! Is that poison?”

“Maybe,” the clerk said. “Or gas. Despite your confidence, you still need air.”

Luca nodded. “Good point.”

He looked at the broken panel and hanging wires.

“Clerk!” Luca shouted. “Fix the air!”

The clerk rolled his eyes. “Finally. A useful idea.”

He worked fast. Luca fought to buy time. The masked man kept trying to get past him, but Luca stood his ground.

The snake lunged again. Luca grabbed its neck with his free hand.

“Gotcha!” Luca said.

The snake wrapped around his arm.

“Not gotcha!” Luca said.

The clerk shouted, “Don’t be stupid! Throw it beside the crate!”

Luca did. The snake hit the floor, stunned.

The air system groaned. Then it roared.

Fresh air rushed in.

Luca laughed. “YES! I love breathing!”

The masked man clicked his tongue and jumped back toward the vent.

Luca stepped forward to chase.

The clerk shouted, “No! Don’t chase! Mission first!”

Luca stopped. He made a face like he was eating dirt. “Fine. You’re right.”

The masked man ran away.

The officer ran in with two workers. They were almost awake, coughing.

Luca helped carry them out. “See? We saved them. We’re heroes.”

The clerk sighed. “Yes. Heroes who still need to write reports.”

Later, they went back to the storage hall. Under the nuclear crate, the clerk found a ledger.

LOAN / PAYMENT / ROUTE

Inside was a note with a range of dates and a clear order to consume supplies. At the bottom was a line that said: “Look up the broker.”

“Look up,” Luca read. “Hey, I know that one. I can look up things!”

The clerk stared. “You can look up words. Not people.”

Luca pointed to the paper. “Still. It’s a clue. A combination clue.”

The clerk nodded. “And we will use it to fulfill the next step.”

“SCALETIDE,” Luca said, grinning again. “Okay. I’m fired up.”

The clerk said, “Please be fired up in a safe way.”

Target Vocabulary Evidence

1. carbon dioxide — "The officer swallowed. “carbon dioxide leak. Below the ground.”"
2. at least — "We need to seek the next part at least as fast as they do."
3. happen to do — "He just looked at Luca, then looked at the snake, and said, “So… you happen to do this every morning now?”"
4. result in — "A bad fault can result in a huge mess, even if no one wants it."
5. in addition to — "Take this. supplement tablets. Use it in addition to your brain."
6. look up — "“Look up,” Luca read. “Hey, I know that one. I can look up things!”"
7. situation — "“Yes,” Luca said. “What’s the situation?”"
8. observe — "“I observe patterns. You chase monsters.”"
9. loan — "LOAN / PAYMENT / ROUTE"
10. fault — "A bad fault can result in a huge mess, even if no one wants it."
11. dive — "The snake shook its head, angry, and tried to dive under the desk."
12. cruise — "Someone said a rich merchant was coming in on a fancy cruise…"
13. audience — "…and the audience was already cheering…"
14. direction — "“Great. Your direction is amazing.”"
15. judge — "“I am trying to judge! It’s hard!”"
16. economics — "“They cheer for money,” the clerk replied. “That is economics.”"
17. consume — "Inside was a note with a range of dates and a clear order to consume supplies."
18. signal — "The masked man stepped back and threw a small metal ball. It hit the floor and gave off a strange signal smell…"
19. seek — "…we need to seek the next part…"
20. authority — "We have authority from the guild."
21. anniversary — "…and the audience was already cheering like it was an anniversary event."
22. increase — "“I can jump now! My power level increased!”"
23. retirement — "“See?” the clerk said. “Teamwork. This is not your retirement party.”"
24. differ — "Snakes and heroes differ in one big way: heroes try again."
25. soil — "He landed face down in the wet soil and shouted, “Not like this!”"
26. chase — "…the snake only chased harder."
27. wealth — "A man on the cart shouted about wealth and “watch where you’re going!”"
28. treat — "“If you get dizzy, take one,” the clerk said. “That’s how you treat it.”"
29. objectively — "“Objectively,” the clerk said, “that was a bad idea.”"
30. massage — "“Can I get a massage first?”"
31. innocent — "“Okay. That was close. But I’m fine. See? Still innocent.”"
32. despite — "“Despite your confidence, you still need air.”"
33. lock — "He opened a small side panel in the floor, shoved the snake into it… “lock.”"
34. appear — "Then it appeared."
35. panel — "He opened a small side panel in the floor…"
36. beside — "“Don’t be stupid! Throw it beside the crate!”"
37. fulfill — "…we will use it to fulfill the next step."
38. combination — "“So the thief is looking for a combination of parts.”"
39. formal — "The masked man spoke in a stiff, formal voice."
40. range — "Inside was a note with a range of dates…"

Quiz (5) + Answers

Q1 (Cloze)

The air problem in the lab was caused by ______ ______.

A1: carbon dioxide

Q2 (Meaning)

What does “look up” mean in this episode?

A2: To search for details (like in a book or online).

Q3 (Comprehension)

How does Luca get saved at the start?

A3: The clerk uses a simple trap and locks the snake away.

Q4 (Comprehension)

Why doesn’t Luca chase the masked man at the end?

A4: The clerk tells him to put the mission first (save people and fix the air).

Q5 (Meaning)

What is “authority” here?

A5: The official right to act from the guild.