The Ghost Forest was quiet… far too quiet. Even the sounds of the other monsters had abruptly vanished in the wake of Kim's passage.
As for the creature that had prostrated itself before him, it remained trembling behind the trees, not daring to lift its head. But Kim did not look back at it. Instead, he let out a faint sigh.
> "Disappointing."
>
He raised his hand toward his eyes.
> "That almost slipped out of control."
>
For a fleeting single moment, the Chaos within him had stirred—just a microscopic fraction of his true "Presence." Yet even that was enough to nearly drive the monster out of its mind.
Kim lowered his gaze slightly, a cold, mocking smile playing on his lips.
> "So, even now…"
> "I still do not know how to live like a normal human."
>
He resumed walking calmly amidst the black trees, but his mind was working at a maddening speed.
In his old world, everyone who uncovered his true nature ended up either dead or consumed by terror. The angels, the humans—even those who loved him. In the end, everyone looked at him as a catastrophe.
Therefore, this time, he would not repeat the same mistake. True power does not show off; it makes others believe you are weak… until it is far too late.
He raised his eyes toward the blood-red sky, then whispered:
> "The sheep lives longer than the wolf."
>
He smiled faintly.
> "But the real wolf…"
> "Wears the wool."
>
In that exact moment, the sounds of nearby combat reached him—shrieks and magic exploding between the trees. He approached silently.
There, he saw a group of students cornered by a massive beast: a giant black spider with eight crimson eyes and fangs dripping with venom.
One of the nobles was screaming in absolute panic:
> "Stop it!"
> "Where are the mages?!"
>
But the dilemma was obvious. They had depleted their mana too quickly, and the monster was still alive. As for the commoners with them, they were literally being used as live bait. A poor youth was being dragged toward the beast while the noble fled backward without a second thought.
> "Nooooo—!"
>
But before the spider could reach him, a small stone suddenly flew through the air.
*Crack.*
It struck one of the monster's eyes with terrifying precision. The spider screeched violently, and everyone turned around in utter shock.
Kim was standing calmly atop a tree branch, his hands tucked inside his pockets.
> "Its left eye is weaker."
>
One of the nobles glared up at him in rage:
> "You idiot! Help us instead of just talking!"
>
Kim tilted his head slightly, then dropped down quietly.
In the next instant, the beast lunged at him with fearsome speed. A girl screamed from behind:
> "Get away!!"
>
Yet Kim did not move until the very final second. Then—with just a single, subtle sidestep—the spider surged right past him.
The students' eyes widened.
> "He evaded it…?"
>
Kim merely picked up a broken branch from the ground, then struck the joint of one of the monster's legs. With perfect precision.
A faint cracking sound echoed, and the beast instantly lost its balance.
> "Large beasts always rely on weight more than speed."
>
He said it as though he were explaining an ordinary lesson, then stepped back calmly.
The nobles seized the opportunity immediately, unleashing their magic upon the monster until it died.
Silence fell. Everyone stared at Kim in bewilderment—even the arrogant noble himself.
> "How did you know its weakness?"
>
Kim replied simply:
> "I observed it."
>
Then, he continued walking as if nothing had happened. But behind him, the whispers began.
> "That commoner is strange…"
> "He didn't use any magic…"
> "Yet he read the monster's movements entirely."
>
Kim, however, was smiling internally. It was exactly as he intended. Not too strong, not too weak. Just… a slightly clever person. Someone who could easily be overlooked.
And that was the best possible position. Because people do not fear the clever at first; instead, they use them. They draw close to them, revealing their secrets before them.
Then… on a day far too late… they realize they had been speaking in front of the monster the entire time.
Suddenly—Kim stopped. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked toward the distant trees.
Someone was watching him.
Emerging from the dense fog, Iris appeared. She was staring at him in silence, but within her eyes, something new had surfaced. Not curiosity… but suspicion.
> "You…"
>
She glanced toward the corpse of the spider, then back at him.
> "You hid that on purpose, didn't you?"
>
Kim smiled faintly—a profoundly enigmatic smile.
> "I have no idea what you are talking about."
>
But inside Iris's mind, a terrifying realization was slowly taking shape. That young man… was not trying to survive the forest.
He was studying everyone inside it.