The sun rose, slicing through the trees and dragging a new day into motion.
The instructor gathered everyone early, making sure they had everything prepared. Ether crystals, medical kits, food, water—nothing was to be left unchecked.
Then the instructor added, "This part of the forest isn't particularly dangerous. We scouted it last week and cleared out any predators too strong for students to handle."
He glanced around once before finishing, "So go on. Stay safe."
The groups split off soon after.
Lian, Lin Ling, and Hazy headed northwest. After walking for a while, Lian climbed the tallest tree he could find and scanned the area with binoculars.
From the top, he took his time observing the terrain. If they could find a river, fishing would be safer than dealing with wild animals.
But there was no river or lake either.
Instead, something else caught his attention.
A massive nest.
It sat high among the trees, nearly a kilometer away, holding a few large eggs that looked more like dinosaur eggs.
Lian narrowed his eyes.
I wonder what kind of bird that is…
As Lian kept scanning the area, he found some moment nearby.
He zoomed in.
A girl was running somewhere in a hurry.
Alone.
And behind her, a massive bear charged through the trees, tearing through everything in its path.
Well… I guess she's done for.
Wasn't this usually the part where the main character shows up at the perfect moment, saves the girl, and she falls for him?
Yeah. That kind of cliché nonsense.
Too bad this was reality. No knight in shining armor was coming to save her.
Or so Lian thought.
Until a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
One strike.
And the bear dropped.
Lian narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the details, but from this distance, faces were unclear. Still, judging by the speed and strength…
Aren?
--
Not far from there—
The girl was still running.
Tears blurred her vision, her mind completely consumed by panic. She didn't even realize the bear was already dead behind her.
She only stopped when someone placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's over. You're safe now."
For a second, she just stared at him.
Then she stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you… I really thought I was going to die," she said, her voice shaking. "I never imagined someone would come for me… you even risked your life…"
Aren didn't react much to it.
"The instructors are short on members," he said calmly. "So they assigned few of the strongest students from Class A as backup."
Then he looked at her. "How did you get separated from your team? Do you know where they are?"
She shook her head. "We got split up when the bear started chasing us…"
Aren nodded once. "Alright. Don't worry. I'll take you back to camp."
He paused, then added, "We'll let your team know you're safe."
She thanked him, and as they started walking, the terrain turned rough and she stumbled on a loose rock.
Aren caught her before she could fall.
"Thanks… again," she said, holding onto his hand a little longer than needed. "Do you mind if we… keep holding hands? I might trip again."
Aren didn't think much of it. "Yeah, it's fine."
He was completely oblivious.
--
From his spot, Lian had seen everything.
He chuckled to himself. I wonder how Sunny would react if he saw this.
He would probably die from jealousy.
Lian then climbed down a few minutes later.
"I spotted some hills nearby," he said as he regrouped with Lin Ling and Hazy. "Let's head there."
Higher terrain was usually safer than dense forest.
Lian couldn't find any rivers nearby. So now he had no choice but to take the hard way.
They adjusted their path and kept moving.
Along the way, they spotted a few rabbits and quickly set up a net. It didn't take long to catch some.
They ate, rested briefly, then continued.
There were a few poisonous insects along the way, but the academy bracelet's armor handled all of them easily.
A few hours passed, and the sun began to set.
They decided to camp there, settling between a cluster of rocks and thick roots that formed a natural barrier on three sides. It wasn't perfect, but it limited blind spots.
Lin Ling took the first watch while Lian and Hazy slept. After three hours, they switched.
Not long after, Lian caught faint footsteps. The sound grew heavier. Two legs. Large body. Whatever it was, it was getting closer.
He woke Hazy and Lin Ling. They listened too, but just as suddenly, the sound faded.
A few minutes passed.
Lian felt like it hadn't left.
He activated thermal vision while the other two put on their night vision goggles. They scanned the area.
Nothing.
Then Lian saw it.
A massive figure stood motionless atop a tree, about twenty meters ahead, watching them.
A giant ape.
Apes were herbivores and didn't usually attack. But judging by this ape's reaction, Lian understood they were either deep in its territory, or it simply didn't tolerate humans.
Either way, it wasn't leaving.
It was watching them now.
Time seemed to slow down as the ape lunged at Lian's team.
Hazy was the first to react. Her sword appeared in a flash, meeting the strike head-on. Steel rang. The blade cut just enough to draw blood. The ape let out a sharp, pained scream.
Lian was still catching up.
By the time he registered what was happening, Lin Ling had already moved.
A wall of water surged up, wrapping around the ape in an instant. It tightened, sealing it inside a floating ball of water just above the ground. Its massive body thrashed, trying to break free, but the pressure held making it unable to breath inside the water.
Slowly, the ape's movements weakened until it went still. And fell unconscious.
Lian watched, quietly impressed. While he'd been busy stacking his wallet and building his rune deck, these two had been sharpening their combat skills to another level.
Lin Ling released the water.
The moment it dropped, the ape sprang up and bolted into the trees without looking back. It had been faking it, deceiving them the whole time.
They let it go. It was still the middle of the night, and the ape is also worth very little points.
Hazy kept watch while the other two slept until sunrise. Once the light returned, they moved toward the mountain.
There were usually streams flowing down from it. If they reached one, they'd have water and a relatively safe spot. They could set traps, wait on higher ground, then come down, collect what they caught, and eat. Lian had suggested this plan earlier. Simple and safe.
But things hadn't gone as expected.
Right now, they were running, trying their best to survive while being hunted by a pack of foxes—one of the most dangerous threats anyone could encounter in this forest.
Unlike the ape, foxes were Sequence 2 predators. They could resist ether attacks and, more importantly, they were intelligent. They set traps, deceived their prey, and hunted in coordinated packs.