"Fuck," Zion said, wiping the blood from his leg and revealing tiny thorns embedded within.

He gritted his teeth, pulling them out one by one while keeping pressure on his veins.

Luckily for him, the wound itself was only surface-level, which would be fine after some bandaging.

"Uriel, status please?" he said, pushing himself off the ground.

[The ship is currently hovering safely above the dense forest,] Uriel started immediately. [As for Host's energy level, it currently sits at 64%.]

Zion nodded slowly, tossing the leftover bandages aside after covering his wound.

He walked up to the control room, glancing outside with narrowed eyes.

Clouds of dust rose into the sky from beneath the massive trees while their leaves shook violently. Yet, none of the trees fell over.

'Thank god I managed to escape,' Zion thought, gripping his armrest tightly. 'Why the hell were there so many of them gathered there?'

Thirty-four Ents had gathered, all of whom were C-ranks. Normally, Ents lived relatively far away from each other to prevent accidentally taking others' minerals from the ground.

'They must've all been attracted by the herb,' he thought. 'And since this planet is so rich in nutrients, it wouldn't matter where they planted themselves.'

A sudden realization hit, causing Zion's brows to furrow.

The Ents wouldn't have been able to approach the herb, as their nutrients would've been sucked out rapidly. That's why they let Zion go in, hoping to ambush him after he disabled the suction effect.

'There's no way they are smart enough to plan that,' he thought, shaking his head. 'It has to be out of instinct.'

He let out a soft breath, throwing himself into his chair.

With the Ents' presence, he'd certainly gathered another valuable hint of information which the Mercenary Guild would pay significantly for.

The information would prevent unnecessary deaths, as it would force them to send B-ranks in order to fully explore and gather the planet's resources.

'But it's too little,' Zion thought bitterly.

[Affirmative,] Uriel responded. [The Mercenary Guild wouldn't rely on information from a single point, as it could very well be a unique location.]

Zion stood up, eyes darting out the window.

"Let's fly a hundred miles from here then," he said. "We'll gather some quick, basic information, and then we'll get out of here."

Uriel's silent approval said enough as the thrusters behind the ship started rumbling.

The ship slowly tilted forward, gliding above the canopy as the forest beneath blurred into a sea of green.

Zion remained standing, one hand resting on the console as his eyes tracked the terrain below. The map shifted steadily, the red markers from earlier fading into nothing as the distance grew.

Nearly a hundred miles later, the ship finally slowed again.

"This should be fine," Zion said, staring at the dense trees below.

[Confirmed,] Uriel replied. [Landing now…]

The engines hummed softer as the ship descended, breaking through the branches and leaves with ease.

It didn't take long before the hidden world beneath the trees revealed itself again, only this time the ground was covered in rock formations and uneven terrain.

"Can we land here?" Zion asked, raising an eyebrow.

[Affirmative,] Uriel said, its voice soft. [The ship's weight will crush any stones beneath it.]

Zion nodded once, eyes darting to the external sensors. They revealed several threats, but each of them only had an energy rating between F and D-rank.

'I'll just have to kill a few quickly while Uriel gathers data from the ground,' he thought, already walking toward the hatch while the ship was still descending. 'No large risks anymore.'

The ship hit the ground, loud cracking sounds echoing from underneath it. Once landed, the ramp immediately lowered, wasting no time.

Zion grabbed his bag, securing it over his shoulder, and walked down.

The sight outside wasn't that different from the previous location, except there seemed to be large hills spread out across the area.

As far as he could see, each hill had several rock formations piercing out of its sides. But even here, large trees managed to grow between them.

'Truly an amazing planet,' he nodded, jumping off the ship's ramp.

Zion walked a few dozen yards out and reached into his bag. He pulled out a familiar metal rod before plunging it deep into the ground.

"Start scanning, please," he said, eyes already darting to the new red marks uploaded to his map.

[Affirmative,] Uriel replied, its voice mechanical. [Scanning now…]

Zion continued walking, heading for the nearest red marker.

It didn't take long before he got within range.

A panther-like beast lunged from between the rocks, only to collapse two seconds later, a blade piercing through its brain.

Zion crouched, quickly identifying the creature before moving on to the next signal.

Another E-rank creature charged at him head-on, only to die in one hit. Once scanned, he quickly moved on again.

The third creature tried to flee once it saw him, but Zion chased it down, leaping over uneven ground before cutting its legs from behind.

A fourth D-rank, a Leafgoat, climbed a large rock formation to escape, forcing Zion to climb up before dragging it down and finishing it off.

Creature after creature fell.

Some tried fighting. Some ran straight away.

None of it mattered to Zion, as long as he could scan all their information.

By the time the seventh body hit the ground, Zion came to a stop and glanced around.

"Five different creatures," he muttered. "Should be more than enough."

Now, with the excuse that the planet was too dangerous, he could retreat without too much suspicion.

[Scanning complete, Host,] Uriel's voice echoed through his head.

"Good," he said quietly, turning around. "Time to head back then."

Zion jogged back toward the ship, ignoring the remaining red dots on his map.

Passing over the final hill, the ship's hull finally came back into view.

His eyes widened, and he immediately ground to a halt.

Two massive figures stood directly in front of his ship with their backs turned toward him.

At first glance, they looked like ancient statues. Their bodies were made of rock and wood, completely covered in moss, with thick vines wrapped around their limbs.

'What the fuck are those?' he thought, slowly stepping back.

Suddenly, both figures moved.

Their bodies turned around, their eyes locking onto Zion instantly.

Immense pressure pressed down on him as the surrounding forest fell completely silent.

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