Three days passed quietly.

Too quietly.

Amon continued to move with Harvey's group, venturing into different sections of the Black Forest each day.

He had gotten pretty close with these people. Lucien was cheerful and too friendly, similar to Amon. Mira and Kaelra were like good elder sisters, while Harvey and Derrick were like mentors or rather, teachers.

For the past three days, they scouted, patrolled, hunted small monsters, and returned to camp without incident. It was fun.

No strange disturbances. No demonic traces. No shadowy creatures in the daytime like the ones Amon and the others saw at night.

'Everything was… normal. Almost unsettlingly so. Today was no different.'

The gray sky loomed overhead as the group moved through the forest, their boots crunching softly against dark soil and fallen black leaves.

The twisted trees stood tall and silent, their bark absorbing what little light there was. The air was cold, heavy with that familiar ominous pressure.

They were on a routine scouting route.

Harvey led at the front, shield raised slightly. Kaelra walked beside him, her sword already drawn.

Derrick moved like a shadow, eyes sharp, daggers ready. Mira stayed at the rear with her bow, while Lucien and Amon covered the center and flanks.

So far, nothing unusual.

Everything is going too smoothly. It feels so strange. To the point it's a little uncomfortable.

Then.

A low growl echoed from ahead. Everyone stopped instantly.

Harvey raised his fist.

From between the trees, movement stirred. Dark shapes emerged one after another.

Monsters.

Three black-furred wolf beasts stepped into view first, their bodies low to the ground, red eyes glowing faintly. Behind them, two larger creatures followed.

Bear-like monsters with thick, armored hides and long claws scraping against the earth. Rank two wolves. Rank three armored bears.

"Formation," Harvey ordered calmly.

Everyone moved without hesitation.

Harvey stepped forward, shield planted firmly into the ground. Kaelra shifted to his side, blade angled forward. Derrick vanished into the shadows to the right, while Mira drew an arrow and took aim.

Lucien spun his spear once and grinned. "Finally, something to stretch with."

Amon tightened his grip on his sword, the familiar weight grounding him. His heart beat faster not with fear, but excitement.

The wolves attacked first. They lunged forward with terrifying speed, fangs bared.

"Now!" Harvey shouted.

Mira released her arrow.

Thwack!

One wolf collapsed instantly, the arrow piercing cleanly through its eye.

Lucien dashed forward, spear flashing. He twisted his body and thrust, impaling another wolf through the chest before kicking it away.

The third wolf leapt toward Amon.

Amon reacted instinctively. He stepped to the side and swung his sword.

Slash!

Black blood sprayed as the wolf's head flew off, its body tumbling lifelessly across the ground.

Before Amon could breathe, the ground shook.

The armored bears charged. Their massive bodies barreled forward, claws raised.

Harvey met the first one head-on.

BOOM!

The bear slammed into his shield with tremendous force, sending shockwaves through the ground. Harvey slid back a few steps but held firm, muscles bulging as he braced himself.

Kaelra moved in immediately.

She slipped under the bear's arm and slashed upward, her blade scraping against its armored hide, sparks flying. The cut wasn't deep but it drew its attention.

The second bear roared and turned toward Mira.

Before it could charge, shadows flickered.

Derrick appeared behind it.

His daggers struck like lightning, stabbing into the softer joints behind the monster's legs. The bear roared in pain and staggered.

"Lucien! Amon!" Harvey shouted.

They moved together.

Lucien lunged first, spear driving into the bear's open mouth as it roared again. The force made it recoil.

Amon followed. Mana surged through his body. His blade darkened slightly as he swung.

[Shadow Clutch]

Black tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around the bear's legs and torso, binding it in place. This time, the spell was much stronger.

"Now!" Amon shouted.

Kaelra didn't hesitate.

She leapt forward and drove her sword straight into the monster's neck, piercing deep.

The bear collapsed with a heavy thud.

The last bear struggled against Harvey, claws scraping violently against his shield.

"Enough," Harvey growled.

He slammed his shield forward with full force. The impact staggered the monster.

In that instant, Mira fired another arrow, hitting its eye.

The bear roared one last time before Kaelra and Lucien finished it together, blade and spear striking almost simultaneously.

Silence fell.

Only the sound of heavy breathing remained. Amon wiped sweat from his brow, heart still racing.

"…That went smoothly," Lucien said, twirling his spear.

"Too smoothly," Derrick muttered as he wiped black blood from his daggers.

Harvey glanced around, eyes sharp. "Stay alert. Clean kills like this don't mean the forest is safe."

Amon nodded, looking at the fallen monsters.

'Two days of calm. And now this.'

Something about it didn't sit right with him.

On Harvey's order, they started to move again. For a while, everything was silent. Too silent.

Derrick's face became more and more serious as they walked.

He raised his hand. "Stop, everyone." His voice wasn't loud. It was calm and low, but it was enough to be heard by the others.

"What happened, Derrick?" Harvey asked cautiously. He tightened his grip on his shield. He summoned an axe from his storage ring, just in case.

Everyone became more cautious after seeing Derrick's expression.

Derrick looked around. "Someone is watching us." He paused for a moment and continued. "At first, I thought it was nothing. But the more we go forward, the more I feel like something is following us."

"What could it be?" Mira asked in a worried tone.

"Maybe some strong monster," Lucien expressed his thoughts.

Amon remained silent, listening to everyone calmly.

Clap!

Harvey clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"We should go back to base. It's better to be cautious and avoid taking unknown risks."

No one questioned it.

The group started to run in the direction of the base.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

Their feet made heavy stomping sounds against the ground.

What danger is coming toward us now?

Thump! Thump!

Amon ran, feeling restless. The past few days had been too peaceful, and he wanted it to remain like that for the whole week. Until the ship came for him. But it seemed it wouldn't be peaceful.

They continued to run when suddenly.

Beep!

Beep!

A sound rang through the forest. It came from Harvey.

"Don't stop!" he commanded and took something out of his pocket.

It was a red crystal blinking brightly. He took the call that came from the base.

"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!"

"RETREAT IMMEDIATELY!"

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