The dense forest swallowed the group almost immediately.
Within minutes...
The sounds of the tournament behind them had completely disappeared.
Only the rustling of leaves...
The distant cries of strange creatures...
And the occasional rumble beneath the earth remained.
Arthur stopped walking.
The others instinctively gathered around him.
"...We need a plan."
Sunny looked around the endless forest.
"I was hoping you already had one."
Arthur shook his head.
"The only thing we know..."
"...is that the Golden Statue is somewhere to the north."
Lola sighed.
"And north could be... how far?"
One of the guide bots answered.
"Based on your current location..."
"...the estimated distance exceeds several thousand kilometres."
Sunny blinked.
"...You've got to be kidding."
The second guide bot calmly continued.
"You are believed to be among the southernmost participants."
Arthur folded his arms.
"So..."
"We probably have the longest journey."
Vaelis remained unusually calm.
He quietly studied the surrounding trees before speaking.
"I know a little about Verdanthos."
Everyone turned toward him.
"It isn't much."
"I travelled through only a small part of it before coming to Voidspire."
He knelt and drew a rough map in the dirt with the tip of his sword.
"This..."
He marked a point.
"...should be us."
He drew a line far above it.
"And somewhere far to the north..."
"...is the statue."
Sunny stared at the enormous distance between the two marks.
"...That's insane."
Vaelis nodded.
"It is."
"But there's another problem."
He pointed directly between them.
"The central route."
The guide bots immediately confirmed his statement.
"Warning."
"The northern route has the highest concentration of corrupted beasts."
"Numerous high-level entities are currently dormant."
"Several are capable of eliminating awakened participants instantly."
Lola slowly raised her hand.
"...So..."
"...we're not going that way?"
The male guide bot shook his head.
"It is not recommended."
Arthur frowned.
"If we avoid them..."
"...what options do we have?"
The female guide bot projected a simple map of the surrounding region.
Two glowing paths appeared.
"The eastern route."
She highlighted one line.
"Longer."
"But monster density is significantly lower."
Then another.
"The western route."
"Slightly shorter."
"However..."
"Greater environmental hazards."
"Steep cliffs."
"Corrupted rivers."
"And unstable terrain."
Sunny scratched his head.
"So..."
"Our choices are..."
He counted on his fingers.
"Go east."
"Take longer."
"Fight fewer monsters."
He held up another finger.
"Or..."
"Go west."
"Get there faster."
"And possibly fall off a mountain."
"...Fantastic."
Lola laughed despite herself.
Arthur remained focused.
"What would happen if we went straight north?"
The bots answered immediately.
"Probability of encountering multiple corrupted beasts..."
"...extremely high."
"Estimated survival rate for your current team..."
The bot paused.
"...Less than twelve percent."
Silence.
Even Sunny stopped smiling.
Arthur looked toward the endless forest stretching northward.
"...Not worth it."
Vaelis nodded.
"We're awakened."
"Not Ascended."
"Every unnecessary battle drains Aether."
"And once our cores begin emptying..."
"We'll become easy targets."
Sunny crossed his arms.
"I hate admitting it..."
"...but he's right."
"We're not here to kill everything."
"We're here to reach the statue."
Lola looked at Arthur.
"What do you think?"
Arthur remained silent for several moments.
He looked east.
Then west.
Finally...
He spoke.
"The tournament isn't just testing strength."
"It's testing judgement."
"If we waste our energy proving how strong we are..."
"We'll never reach the finish."
He pointed toward the eastern route.
"We head east first."
"We avoid unnecessary fights."
"Conserve our Aether."
"Then we'll turn north when the terrain becomes safer."
The guide bots nodded simultaneously.
"Decision acknowledged."
"Recommended success probability..."
"...Increased."
Sunny smiled.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a leader."
Arthur sighed.
"...Let's just survive first."
Without another word...
The six figures began moving through the ancient forest.
Not toward the shortest path...
But toward the path they believed would give them the greatest chance of reaching the Golden Statue alive.
Behind them...
The deep roar of a corrupted beast echoed through Verdanthos.
Arthur didn't look back.
Neither did the others.
Some battles...
Were wiser to avoid.The group continued through the eastern forests in complete silence.
The conversation about the route had ended, but an invisible tension still lingered between the four awakened.
Eventually...
Vaelis slowed his pace.
"...There's something you should all know."
Arthur looked over.
Sunny and Lola also turned their attention toward him.
Vaelis didn't stop walking.
His eyes remained fixed on the forest ahead.
"I've already lost people."
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
"I tried to save them."
"I hesitated."
"I believed everyone could make it out alive."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"...I was wrong."
The forest seemed to grow even quieter.
"When the monsters came..."
"I had a choice."
"Run..."
"Or stay."
"I stayed."
"My hesitation cost lives."
"I watched people die because I couldn't decide."
His hand unconsciously tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"That day..."
"I made myself a promise."
His silver eyes opened once more.
"I would never hesitate again."
"If my instincts tell me to run..."
"I'll run."
"If they tell me to fight..."
"I'll fight."
"But if they tell me someone can't be saved..."
"I won't throw my own life away trying."
He finally looked at the others.
"I know we're a team."
"I'll help."
"I'll protect you when I can."
"But if my survival instincts tell me that staying means certain death..."
"...I will leave."
"...Without looking back."
Silence.
Lola lowered her head slightly.
She had heard fragments of Vaelis' past before...
But never this much.
Sunny scratched the back of his head.
"...That's..."
He struggled to find the words.
"...Kind of sad."
Vaelis didn't deny it.
"It is."
Arthur stepped forward.
"I understand why you think that way."
Vaelis looked at him.
Arthur continued.
"But I can't make that promise."
"If one of you falls behind..."
"I'm coming back."
"If one of you gets trapped..."
"I'll help."
"If one of you is dying..."
"I'll risk my life."
Sunny sighed.
"...Arthur..."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I know."
"It sounds stupid."
"It might even get me killed."
"But if I become someone who abandons people just to survive..."
"...then I don't think I'd like the person who reaches the finish line."
The words lingered in the air.
Vaelis studied Arthur for a long moment.
"...That way of thinking..."
"...will eventually break you."
Arthur nodded.
"Maybe."
"But it's who I am."
He looked at Sunny.
Then Lola.
Finally back at Vaelis.
"We're already at a disadvantage."
"We don't know this continent."
"We don't know each other's fighting styles."
"And there are fifty thousand awakened trying to reach the same goal."
"If we start doubting each other now..."
"...we've already lost."
Lola smiled softly.
"I'd rather travel with someone like Arthur."
Sunny chuckled.
"Me too."
"But..."
He pointed at Arthur.
"If you're going to play the hero..."
"...at least warn us first."
Arthur laughed quietly.
"I'll try."
Vaelis remained silent.
After several moments...
He gave a small nod.
"...Very well."
"I won't promise to become like you."
"But..."
"If there's a chance to save someone..."
"A real chance..."
"I won't walk away."
Arthur extended his hand.
"That's all I needed to hear."
Vaelis looked at it for a second before shaking it.
Not because his beliefs had changed...
But because, for the first time in years...
A small part of him wondered...
Whether surviving alone...
Was truly the only way to live.
Just then...
One of the guide bots abruptly stopped.
Its glowing eyes turned toward the dense trees ahead.
"Warning."
"Hostile presence detected."
"Distance..."
"...Approximately two hundred metres."
The four awakened immediately released each other's hands.
Every weapon was drawn.
Their first real test...
Had arrived.
The forest remained eerily quiet after Vaelis and Arthur shook hands.
Not a single bird sang.
Not a single insect could be heard.
The two guide bots suddenly stopped walking.
Their glowing eyes scanned the dense undergrowth surrounding the group.
After a few seconds, they spoke together.
"Hostile lifeforms detected."
"Number of signatures... eight."
"Species identified..."
"Ravager Wolverines."
"They are pack hunters."
"Recommendation..."
"Prepare for combat."
Arthur slowly unsheathed his blade.
"Formation."
Without arguing, the four stood back-to-back.
Arthur faced north.
Sunny covered the east.
Vaelis watched the west.
Lola took the south.
For several seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then...
The bushes shifted.
One Wolverine emerged.
Then another.
Then another.
Soon eight enormous beasts stood in a loose circle around them.
Each Wolverine's muscles rippled beneath thick grey-black fur scarred by countless battles.
Their claws dug deep into the earth.
Unlike Lesser Beasts, they didn't charge recklessly.
They observed.
Waiting.
Watching for weakness.
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"...Ravagers."
He let out a slow breath.
"I'm actually relieved."
Lola looked at him as though he had lost his mind.
"Relieved?"
Sunny nodded.
"They're only Ravager-ranked."
"If they were Corrupted..."
He glanced at Arthur.
"...we'd already be praying."
Arthur understood exactly what Sunny meant.
Sunny continued.
"Don't forget."
"You nearly died fighting a Half-Corrupted."
"He wasn't even using his full strength."
"He held back the entire fight..."
Sunny frowned.
"And we still don't know why."
Arthur remained silent.
That battle still haunted him.
If a Half-Corrupted who wasn't fighting seriously had pushed him that far...
He couldn't imagine facing a true Corrupted monster.
Vaelis interrupted.
"Focus."
"They're moving."
The Wolverines communicated through low growls.
Two immediately circled toward Arthur.
Two stalked Sunny.
Two slowly approached Vaelis.
The final pair lowered themselves before Lola.
"They hunt intelligently."
Vaelis observed.
"They're not smart..."
"But they know how to overwhelm prey."
Arthur nodded.
"Two each."
"No one fights alone."
The first Wolverines attacked.
Arthur stepped forward.
Ice spread across his blade before he slashed across the chest of the first beast.
The cut was deep.
Yet the Wolverine barely slowed.
Instead...
It ignored the wound completely and continued attacking.
Arthur's expression hardened.
"...They're durable."
The second beast lunged from the side.
Arthur surrounded his left arm with flames before striking its jaw, knocking it away.
Even then...
It stood back up almost immediately.
"They don't care how much damage they take."
Sunny created two black daggers.
The first Wolverine rushed him head-on.
He drove a dagger into its shoulder.
The blade sank deep.
The beast simply kept coming.
Sunny quickly sidestepped before creating another dagger and striking beneath its ribs.
Still...
It refused to fall.
"...You've got to be kidding."
The second Wolverine attempted to circle behind him.
Sunny instantly created a small metal barrier.
The beast slammed into it, sending cracks racing across the surface before Sunny dismissed it.
"They're much stronger than Lesser Beasts..."
"But not nearly as clever."
Vaelis calmly avoided a swipe before coating his sword in wind.
His blade carved through one Wolverine's side.
Blood sprayed across the grass.
The beast staggered.
Then immediately attacked again.
Vaelis frowned slightly.
"So that's how Ravagers fight."
"They rely on endurance."
Lola raised both hands.
Roots burst from the ground, wrapping around one Wolverine's legs.
The beast struggled wildly, tearing through the roots by brute force alone.
The second one leapt toward her.
She rolled aside before creating sharpened wooden spears that pierced its shoulder and neck.
Even after suffering multiple wounds...
It continued advancing.
"They just won't stop..."
Lola muttered.
The battle dragged on.
Minute after minute.
Every Ravager absorbed punishment that would have killed several Lesser Beasts.
Their instincts kept them fighting.
They didn't fear pain.
They didn't retreat.
They hunted until either they...
Or their prey...
Stopped moving.
Finally...
Arthur drove his ice-coated blade through the skull of the final Wolverine before him.
The creature collapsed.
Sunny's last opponent fell moments later after dozens of precise strikes.
Vaelis finished his battle with two clean sword swings.
Lola exhausted the last of her prepared vines before finally bringing down the remaining beast.
Silence slowly returned.
Everyone breathed heavily.
Sunny wiped sweat from his forehead.
"...If Ravagers are already this tough..."
"I don't even want to imagine Corrupted Beasts."
One of the guide bots stepped forward.
"It is fortunate you encountered only Ravagers."
"The capital of Verdanthos..."
"...is controlled by Corrupted beings."
The group immediately looked at the bot.
"The strongest Corrupted entities have established their territory there."
"They command countless Corrupted Beasts."
"They are the undisputed rulers of central Verdanthos."
Arthur slowly looked toward the distant horizon.
Somewhere beyond the endless forests...
Beyond the mountains...
Those creatures waited.
Sunny followed his gaze.
"...Then let's make sure we never have to meet them."
No one argued.
Because after facing only eight Ravager Wolverines...
They had already learned one thing.
Verdanthos was not a place where strength alone guaranteed survival.
It was a continent built to devour the unprepared.
The group resumed walking after the battle.
The corpses of the Ravager Wolverines slowly disappeared behind them as the dense forest swallowed every trace of the fight.
For several minutes...
No one spoke.
Then Lola suddenly broke the silence.
She turned to Arthur.
"...Wait."
Arthur looked at her.
"What did Sunny mean earlier?"
Sunny scratched the back of his head.
"...Ah..."
Lola ignored him.
She stared directly at Arthur.
"He said..."
"...you almost died fighting a Half-Corrupted."
Her pace slowed.
"...Is that true?"
Arthur remained quiet.
Sunny sighed.
"I probably shouldn't have brought it up..."
Lola stopped walking altogether.
Her eyes widened.
"...You actually did?"
There was disbelief in her voice.
Arthur finally nodded once.
"...Yeah."
Lola's expression changed almost instantly.
First surprise.
Then shock.
Then...
Something closer to fear.
"...Arthur..."
"A Half-Corrupted?"
She instinctively took a step closer.
"...Those things are nightmares."
"My father used to tell stories about them."
"They're monsters caught between sanity and corruption."
"They're stronger than Ravagers."
"Stronger than most awakened."
"And..."
She swallowed.
"...you fought one?"
Arthur answered calmly.
"I didn't exactly have a choice."
Lola stared at him in silence.
"...How are you even alive?"
Before Arthur could answer...
Vaelis spoke.
Unlike Lola...
His face remained completely emotionless.
"So..."
"You survived."
Arthur nodded.
"Barely."
Vaelis looked at him for another second.
"Tell me."
"How?"
Arthur let out a slow breath.
"It wasn't at full strength."
Sunny folded his arms.
"That's the terrifying part."
Everyone looked at him.
Sunny continued.
"The Half-Corrupted was holding back."
"It could've killed Arthur."
"Several times."
"But it didn't."
Lola's eyes widened even further.
"...Why?"
Sunny slowly shook his head.
"...We don't know."
Arthur looked toward the trees ahead.
"I asked myself that question countless times."
"It had opportunities."
"It could've ended the fight almost immediately."
"It chose not to."
"There was something..."
He frowned slightly.
"...Almost as if it was testing me."
Vaelis remained silent.
His expression never changed.
"A creature strong enough to kill you..."
"...chooses not to."
"Interesting."
Arthur nodded.
"I still don't understand it."
Sunny sighed.
"Neither do I."
"But what I do know..."
He looked around at the endless forest.
"...is that if Arthur nearly died against a Half-Corrupted that wasn't even serious..."
"...then a true Corrupted monster..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Everyone already understood.
Silence fell over the group once more.
Lola quietly looked at Arthur.
The cheerful smile she had worn since recognizing him was gone.
Instead...
There was concern.
Real concern.
"...Don't do something like that again."
Arthur laughed softly.
"I'll try."
She immediately frowned.
"'I'll try' isn't good enough."
"You have people waiting for you."
Her voice softened.
"...Layla."
"...Alexi."
"...Your friends."
"...Me."
Arthur looked at her, caught slightly off guard.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I'll come back."
Lola sighed.
"You'd better."
Vaelis finally spoke again.
Still calm.
Still unreadable.
"Then let's make sure none of us has to fight a Half-Corrupted."
"For now..."
"Our objective remains the same."
"The Golden Statue."
Arthur nodded.
"Agreed."
The four of them continued deeper into Verdanthos.
None of them noticed...
High above the forest canopy...
A pair of crimson eyes had been watching the entire conversation.
Patiently.
Silently.
Waiting.
The forest gradually became quieter the deeper they travelled.
The guide bots occasionally adjusted their course, steering the group away from areas where powerful beasts had been detected.
After another hour of walking...
Arthur suddenly raised his hand.
"We stop here."
The others looked around.
The clearing was small, surrounded by towering trees whose thick branches almost completely hid the sky.
Vaelis nodded approvingly.
"Good choice."
"The trees conceal us."
"And there are only three entrances into the clearing."
Arthur looked at the guide bots.
"Any monsters nearby?"
The male bot's eyes glowed briefly.
"No immediate hostile lifeforms detected."
"Nearest Ravager signature..."
"...approximately two kilometres away."
Arthur relaxed slightly.
"Good."
He turned back to the group.
"We've all used Aether."
"Not enough to empty our cores..."
"But enough that we shouldn't ignore it."
Sunny nodded.
"If we keep fighting without recovering..."
"...our cores won't have enough time to refine new Aether."
Lola sat down beneath a large tree.
"So we're resting?"
Arthur shook his head.
"Not resting."
"Recovering."
He sat cross-legged on the ground.
"When we absorb natural Aether..."
"It isn't immediately ours."
"It has to be purified."
"Refined."
"Only then can our Aether Cores accept it as Personal Aether."
Vaelis quietly sat opposite Arthur.
"And rushing the process only contaminates the core."
Sunny smiled.
"Exactly."
"So..."
He rubbed his hands together.
"Leave this part to me."
Arthur already knew what he was about to do.
Sunny placed both palms against the ground.
He closed his eyes.
Tiny streams of Aether flowed from his fingertips into the earth.
For several moments...
Nothing happened.
Then...
Wood slowly rose from the forest floor.
Small logs arranged themselves into a neat circular wall.
Branches intertwined to form a simple shelter.
Flat stones shifted together to create seats.
A small fire pit appeared in the centre.
Several sharpened wooden stakes emerged around the clearing, forming a defensive perimeter.
Finally...
A simple lookout platform rose against one of the larger trees.
Sunny slowly opened his eyes.
"...There."
He smiled proudly.
"A temporary camp."
Lola looked around with wide eyes.
"...You built all of this..."
"...just now?"
Sunny shrugged casually.
"It's nothing special."
"It'll only last a day or two before nature starts reclaiming it."
Vaelis walked around the camp, inspecting the craftsmanship.
"The supports are balanced."
"The walls conceal the fire."
"The lookout has a full view of every approach."
He looked back at Sunny.
"...You're underselling yourself."
Sunny laughed awkwardly.
"I just like making useful things."
Arthur couldn't help but smile.
"You call this 'useful'?"
Sunny scratched his cheek.
"...Maybe a little more than useful."
Even the guide bots seemed impressed.
"Construction quality..."
"...Excellent."
"Estimated defensive effectiveness..."
"...Eighty-three percent against Lesser and Ravager Beasts."
Sunny blinked.
"I'll take that."
Arthur sat down once more.
"Everyone."
"We recover for one hour."
"No unnecessary talking."
"Focus on refining your Aether."
One by one...
They closed their eyes.
Tiny streams of natural Aether drifted through the forest.
Slowly entering their bodies.
Their Aether Cores began separating the foreign energy from impurities...
Gradually refining it...
Until it truly became their own.
Time passed peacefully.
The only sounds were the gentle breeze...
The crackling of the small fire...
And the quiet rhythm of four awakened steadily restoring the strength they would need for the long journey ahead.
Hidden beyond the clearing...
Something watched the camp from the shadows.
But seeing the defensive stakes...
The concealed camp...
And four awakened who remained alert even while cultivating...
It silently turned away.
For now...
This prey wasn't worth the risk.