The vegetation began changing. Gone were the towering sequoia-like giants; now the trees were shorter—left for occasional faraways even bigger and thicker than previous ones—but the density of the forest around him grew suffocating. Branches formed thick walls. Vines tangled like nets. The air itself felt heavy. Leo couldn't see more than twenty meters ahead; shadows and foliage swallowed everything past that range.

A weight settled on his skin—mana pressure, dense and swirling. He could physically feel it pushing against his chest with each breath. Even Niri perked up on his shoulder, her wood-like tendrils unfurling excitedly as she inhaled the mana-rich air like a child sniffing sweets.

Then—perfectly on cue—

AWooooooo!

A long, echoing howl tore through the forest ahead, vibrating through the dense canopy.

Leo spotted the location instantly; the howl was generated from less than a kilometre away in front. They had finally caught up with the pack, and from the howl, it seemed to be a wolf pack.

But even before Leo could get close enough to see, a barrage of chaotic noises exploded through the dense forest.

Boom!

GRaaaH!

Thum! Crash!

BAM! bam!

The ground trembled beneath them—soil shaking, leaves raining down. Even Shyra, despite her balanced stance and powerful musculature, staggered once before bringing herself to a complete, frozen halt.

"What in the world…?" Leo muttered, squinting ahead. The dense canopy was packed too tightly—layer after layer of interwoven leaves and twisted branches blocked every angle. Even climbing wouldn't help; the trees here were tall but not towering enough to offer a vantage point over the battlefield.

He came down from the back. "Shyra, full stealth. Do your best."

At the same time, he activated his own stealth, feeling a cool ripple wash over him as his presence dimmed, thinned, and folded into the shadows. He tapped Niri gently on the head.

"Niri, into the spiritual space. I will call you when needed."

She nodded and vanished in a soft wisp of green hue as Leo unsummoned her.

Leo steadied his breathing, gathering every thread of concentration. As he focused on the sensation of stealth—letting his consciousness sink deeper into the shadows—he suddenly felt a tug, like a faint door cracking open inside his mind. An instinctual realisation. A way to push the skill further.

He pushed his awareness toward it.

Ding!

[Stealth] – 100% (High) → 1% (Peak)

-Able to partially meld into shadows.

-Undetectable by all 5 senses.

When Leo saw this notification, his lips curled upward in a quiet, satisfied smile.

"Perfect timing…"

Upgraded, Shyra's form didn't simply fade—it melted seamlessly into the shadowy undergrowth, her fur disappearing into the darkness like ink dispersing in water. Leo himself felt weightless, hollowed out—like even the air couldn't grasp him.

Only someone with monstrously sharpened senses would even have a chance of detecting him now.

Together, soundless as a drifting breeze, they moved forward.

The battle noises were at least 600–800 meters away, the echoes rolling through the forest like distant thunder. It took time to move carefully, silently weaving between trees, but eventually they broke through the final veil of foliage.

The scene that greeted them was nothing short of breathtaking.

A vast clearing. Or rather… a clearing carved out by pure violence.

The earth was gouged with trenches, crushed boulders, toppled trees, and gaping pits. Dozens—no, scores—of beasts were locked in frantic combat. But the most overwhelming presence came from the golems—dozens upon dozens of them—hurling themselves fearlessly into battle.

Golems clashed with beasts, beasts fought among themselves, and occasionally two beasts tore each other apart over the shattered pieces of a golem's remains, where a gleaming core could be seen shining.

In a single glance, the system barraged Leo with notifications—an unending list of beast identifications flickering through his vision:

Stonehide Badger (High 1-star) – ordinary bloodline

Hollowfang Viper (Peak 1-star) – mortal bloodline

Ironmane Jackal (Low 2-star) – ordinary bloodline

Ruptureback Mole (Intermediate 2-star) – ordinary bloodline

Ridgeclaw Raptor (High 2-star) – mortal bloodline

Boulderhoof Boar (Peak 2-star) – ordinary bloodline

Shadowstripe Lynx (Pseudo 3-star) – mortal bloodline

Thunderhide Elk (Low 3-star) – super bloodline

Mudscale Monitor (High 1-star) – ordinary bloodline

Shriekplume Owl (Peak 1-star) – mortal bloodline

Duneclaw Hyena (Low 2-star) – ordinary bloodline

Gravelspine Pangolin (Intermediate 2-star) – ordinary bloodline

Thornjaw Wolf (High 2-star) – mortal bloodline

Earthmaw Ape (Peak 2-star) – ordinary bloodline

Cragback Hare (High 1-star) – mortal bloodline

For a second, Leo felt a bead of cold sweat slide down his spine. His first instinct? Run.

But he swallowed the impulse, forcing himself to observe.

The battlefield stretched in a circle—its centre a slightly elevated mound. Dozens of golems stood in formation, forming a semi-living barricade around the inner rise. Every time one fell, another crawled out of the hillside canopy, stone grinding on stone as they marched forward to fill the gap.

It wasn't a chaotic battlefield. It was a siege.A fierce, stubborn stalemate.

Others would see danger.

Leo saw opportunity.

Because scattered throughout the battlefield—half-crushed, torn apart, or left forgotten—were countless beast corpses. Some were huge enough to clearly be peak 2-star. A few, by their sheer size alone, might have reached pseudo 3-star.

Leo didn't waste a single breath.

Still cloaked in near-perfect stealth, he darted between broken stones and corpses like a wraith. Each time he tapped a beast corpse with his trial metal plate, faint mana flared—and he received free trial points.

And whenever he reached a peak 2-star or higher corpse?

He quietly stored it in his spiritual space.

Fuel for Shyra and Niri to advance. He sent those brutally mutilated and coloured corpses back through the metal plate, since they were either not edible or poisoned meat.

It was then that he spotted a wolf pack not far ahead.

Locked in a fight with a golem, their formation was tight—instinctive and disciplined. Eleven wolves in total, fur bristling under the mana and air drifting through the clearing. Some had coarse grey coats. Others shimmered with faint metallic streaks or bone-like ridges along their backs.

The moment Leo's gaze settled on them, a flood of system information streamed into his vision.

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