They reached the village.

  Morning light filtered through thin clouds, casting long shadows across the road. The village was surrounded by wooden walls with two or three layers to give it maximum protection. The walls were high, darkened by age and weather, their surface scarred by old repairs.

  They stepped inside the village.

  The wooden gates creaked softly behind them.

  They parked their carriage near the inner path and started walking toward the village center. The ground beneath their feet was packed earth, worn smooth by countless footsteps.

  The atmosphere was denser than usual. Even the air felt heavier, pressing faintly against their skin with every breath.

  “The air is dense here,” Keny said, glancing around.

  “Yes,” Kaji replied. “There is a stronghold between this village and the kingdom Drakhen Dominion.”

  Kael frowned. “What is a stronghold?”

  “A stronghold is a place where,” Kaji continued, “the mana is denser than usual. The nearer you go to the stronghold, the denser the mana becomes.”

  Kael’s gaze lowered slightly, thoughtful.

  “Is that the reason my village never had this kind of monstrous activity?”

  “Yes,” Kaji replied. “You are right.”

  A villager noticed them and quickly approached. His eyes widened as he recognized Kaji, and he bowed lightly before leading them toward the hall.

  They soon reached the hall. It was a large, open space with thick wooden pillars supporting the ceiling—clearly built to gather the entire village during emergencies. The faint smell of smoke and old wood lingered in the air.

  From there, they were guided into a smaller room.

  Several chairs surrounded a large table, and three elders were already seated, their expressions calm but cautious.

  They recognized Kaji immediately.

  Then their eyes slowly shifted toward the others, measuring them in silence.

  The group greeted the elders, and the elders returned the gesture.

  “We are very happy to have you here, Kaji and your team,” one of the elders said.

  “These are from the new batch of the academy?” the same elder asked, studying them curiously.

  “Yes,” Kaji replied.

  “You must have seen great promise in them to bring them here,” another elder said.

  “But remember, this time the monsters are different.”

  The room grew quieter.

  “From the information I gathered, I don’t know how, but it feels like they are evolving,” the elder continued. “They are smarter than before, so be careful.”

  “They are mostly near the main path toward the Drakhen Dominion. But I doubt the Drakhen Kingdom is responsible for all this. It might be because of the nearby stronghold.”

  “Thank you for the information,” Kaji said with a faint smile.

  “Now we will head for the passage.”

  “Be careful out there,” one of the elders said.

  Kaji and his group left the village shortly after.

  Soon, they reached the main passage that connected the Drakhen Dominion with the countryside village.

  Dense jungle surrounded the path on both sides. Tall trees blocked much of the light, leaving the ground beneath them dim and uneven. The deeper they went, the quieter it became.

  There was an awkward silence, broken only by the constant hum of insects hidden in the foliage. Because of the high mana density, the air felt thick, and visibility dropped sharply the farther the trees stretched.

  “I have already given each one of you an accessory, in your ears,” Kaji said.

  They all felt it—small and cold at first—like stud earrings resting against their skin.

  “You can now talk using thought communication,” Kaji added.

  “Also, be careful while using any type of fire spell here. We don’t want to burn the forest.”

  “Understood, Kaji,” he said while glancing at Kany.

  “Piece of shit,” Kaji muttered under his breath.

  “You said something?” Kany asked.

  “No… none of your business,” Kaji replied.

  “Watch out!” Aeris said suddenly.

  Her voice cut through the silence.

  “There’s something approaching us fast.”

  Leaves rustled.

  Branches snapped.

  After almost two seconds, Kaji sensed it as well.

  “Keep your guard up, everyone.”

  A beast emerged from between the trees.

  It looked like a wolf—but far larger than any normal one. Its body was thick with muscle, claws digging into the soil as it stopped in front of them.

  It slowly rose onto two legs, letting out a deep, threatening growl as if trying to intimidate them.

  Then it jumped.

  But before it could reach anyone—

  CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

  Three bullet-like projectiles tore through the air. The beast’s body jerked violently before collapsing onto the ground.

  Kael called them Mana Bullets.

  Aeris stiffened.

  Her eyes narrowed.

  Another presence.

  A beast leapt from behind.

  Aeris moved instantly.

  She jumped.

  Swoosh.

  Her blade flashed, and the beast’s head separated cleanly from its body before it hit the ground.

  Silence returned—heavier than before.

  “This monster was watching us the whole time,” Kael muttered, staring at the fallen bodies.

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  “And we couldn’t even feel its presence… scary.”

  “Everyone! I think they are coming from the stronghold, so I am going to investigate there. I have provided all of you with my armor shield. It is as strong as the one I used during Zeph and Kael’s first match. It will stay with you for twenty-four hours. But still, don’t rely on it too much.”

  Kaji said.

  “Now, I am dividing you into groups of two. Zeph and Kany—Kael and Aeris. One group will investigate the left side of the forest, and the other will investigate the right side. Zeph and Kany will take the left side, while Kael and Aeris will take the right side ”

  “After twenty-four hours, this armor will automatically teleport you back to the village. Our task is to gather as much information as we can during this period and also take out as many monsters as possible. Got it, everyone?” Kaji added.

  “Understood!” everyone said simultaneously.

  “But don’t go too deep into the forest—one to two kilometers should be enough to investigate,” Kaji added.

  “But Kany, how will you fight without fire?” Zeph asked in confusion.

  “Oh, me? I’ll use this.”

  Kany’s hand suddenly filled with mana, and a fiery sword appeared.

  “In this way, I can fight without destroying the forest. And this blade is sharp enough to cut through rocks in a single blow.”

  “Is it alright, Mister Teacher?” Kany asked, glancing at Kaji.

  “Do whatever you want,” Kaji replied.

  “Everything is valid as long as you don’t burn the forest.”

  “See you tomorrow, everyone!”

  And then he vanished into thin air.

  “Oh man,” Zeph said, his eyes glowing with excitement.

  “How is he faster than me?”

  “I want to be that fast someday.”

  “Kany, let’s go!” Zeph added excitedly.

  “Take care, everyone,” Zeph said with a smile as he turned away.

  Zeph and Kany moved toward the left side of the forest, their figures quickly disappearing between the trees.

  Kael was left standing with Aeris.

  “So… what’s the plan?” Kael asked.

  Aeris didn’t stop walking as she answered.

  “We’ll go around four to five hundred meters in,” she said calmly. “Then we move forward in the direction of the passage. If we notice anything suspicious, we decide whether to go deeper. This way, we save time and avoid unnecessary risk.”

  Kael blinked.

  That was… efficient.

  He nodded, impressed.

  “Got it.”

  They moved deeper into the jungle.

  By the time the sun began to sink, the forest had already started to darken. Thick leaves blocked most of the light, and shadows stretched unnaturally long between the trees.

  Every step felt heavier.

  Both of them stayed alert—listening, sensing, watching their surroundings carefully.

  Then—

  Something moved.

  A monster leapt from the side.

  WOOSHP.

  Aeris moved first.

  Her blade flashed once, clean and precise. The monster’s head fell before its body even realized it was dead.

  Kael swallowed.

  Her precision…

  It’s even better than most people with eyes.

  “She’s so cool…” Kael muttered without thinking.

  “…Did you say something?” Aeris asked.

  Kael froze.

  “N—No! Nothing at all,” he replied quickly.

  “Stay focused,” Aeris said.

  The forest went silent.

  Then—

  “Watch out!”

  Three presences surged toward them at once.

  Three monsters attacked simultaneously.

  WOOSHP.

  Aeris cut one down instantly, her sword moving without hesitation.

  Kael raised his hand.

  CRACK. CRACK.

  Two Mana Bullets tore through the remaining monsters, dropping them mid-charge.

  The silence that followed was short-lived.

  Too short.

  More movement.

  More sounds.

  Too many.

  “…Their numbers are increasing,” Kael said under his breath.

  Monsters surrounded them.

  From the front.

  From behind.

  From the sides.

  They fought back-to-back.

  CRACK. CRACK.

  SWOOSH. SWOOSH.

  Blood stained the ground.

  Bodies piled up.

  Minutes passed.

  Then more.

  “We’ve been fighting for almost twenty minutes,” Kael said, breathing hard. “But their numbers keep increasing.”

  He turned.

  “Aeris—we need to retreat. We need a plan before we’re overwhelmed!”

  “…Aeris?”

  No response.

  “Aeris!”

  She collapsed.

  Kael’s heart skipped.

  He rushed forward, standing over her protectively.

  He tried to wake her.

  She didn’t respond—her breathing was shallow, her body burning hot.

  “She has a fever…”

  Panic surged.

  “What should I do…?”

  He tried to lift her.

  Too heavy.

  His arms shook.

  Then—

  An idea struck.

  “…Reduce Gravity.”

  Mana surged as he grabbed her.

  Her body became lighter—but Kael felt his remaining mana drain rapidly.

  Gritting his teeth, he lifted her.

  “I need to move. Now.”

  He ran.

  Some monsters stopped, losing interest.

  Others followed.

  Kael turned mid-run.

  CRACK.

  The last pursuer fell.

  Ahead—

  A cave.

  Kael rushed inside and gently laid Aeris down.

  “…Reduce Gravity.”

  He placed his hand on a massive rock near the entrance.

  Even reduced, it was still heavy.

  But he pushed.

  With a final strain, the rock slid into place, sealing the entrance.

  Inside the cave, faint light filtered through cracks in the stone walls.

  Kael scanned the area.

  Then—

  A roar.

  A bear burst from a narrow opening at the back of the cave.

  Kael dodged instinctively.

  But the bear lunged—straight toward Aeris.

  “No—!”

  CRACK. CRACK.

  Two Mana Bullets slammed into its skull.

  The bear collapsed inches from her.

  Kael exhaled shakily.

  He gathered nearby wood and started a fire.

  Carefully, he pulled Aeris closer to the warmth.

  Time passed.

  He butchered the bear, hands shaking from exhaustion, and cooked small pieces of meat over the fire.

  Hours later—

  Aeris stirred.

  “…Where am I?”

  She jolted upright, instantly reaching for her sword.

  “It’s safe,” Kael said quickly.

  Her grip loosened.

  She lay back down.

  “You collapsed during the fight,” Kael said softly.

  Silence.

  Then—

  “…I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”

  Her voice trembled.

  Kael shook his head immediately.

  “Not at all.”

  He hesitated, then spoke honestly.

  “I think you’re amazing.”

  She turned her face slightly.

  “You can’t see,” Kael continued, “but you sense the world better than anyone I know. If you weren’t with me… I would’ve died long before.”

  “It was your instincts that kept us alive.”

  Aeris took a slow breath.

  Kael held out a piece of cooked meat toward her.

  “Here,” he said calmly. “It should help you recover faster.”

  She slowly sat up and took the meat from his hand.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  She took a small bite and paused.

  It was warm—and surprisingly tasty.

  The fire crackled softly between them.

  For a while, neither of them spoke.

  Then—

  Kael looked at her.

  “…Can I ask you something?” he said quietly.

  She nodded.

  “Why do you fight so hard?” Kael asked.

  “You didn’t even tell us you had a fever.”

  Aeris didn’t answer right away.

  The fire crackled softly between them.

  Outside, the jungle remained silent.