was already prepared as the first rays of the morning sun filtered through the windows of castle. After a light meal, I gathered my bags and headed downstairs. A large group had assembled in front of the castle: Master Asteria, General Kael, the loyal Alfredo, and Elliot... My grandfather, Lord Aleric, was also there.
"Greetings, everyone," I welcomed them. Every face bore a serious yet hopeful expression.
Lord Aleric stepped forward: "I wish you luck on your journey, Lucius. Even though you objected to me sending men with you, they will at least escort you to the edge of the forest."
"Thank you, Lord Aleric," I replied. I felt that addressing him by his title in front of the others was more formal and appropriate.
Just as we were about to depart, I saw someone approaching us from the side. It was Drak. There was no trace of yesterday's arrogant expression.
"I apologize for my behavior yesterday, Lucius," he said, extending his hand. "I wish you luck on your journey. But when you return from the forest, I want to duel with you again."
I smiled and shook his hand: "Of course, we can fight whenever you wish."
After saying our goodbyes, we boarded the carriage. After approximately two hours of travel, we finally reached that famous landmark. My grandfather's men bid us farewell and turned back. After passing through the military checkpoint surrounding the forest, the entrance to the woods stood before us, stretching out like a massive, dark wall.
Asteria stepped forward and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. "We are in the forest now. Since we are still at the entrance, there is no serious danger yet, but watch every step regardless."
"Understood!" everyone called out in unison.
Despite being at the entrance, the air felt heavy. The cold scent of the woods wafting from within and the pitch-black darkness in the depths were both terrifying and strangely alluring. According to the notes I had read, the depths of this forest were filled with goblins, giants, spiders, poisonous plants, shadow wolves, and strange creatures yet to be discovered.
We advanced step by step into the darkness. Every rustle and every sound was now a signal of danger. As we moved deeper, the height of the trees increased, and the leaves completely blocked out the sunlight.
After several hours of silent trekking, Kael loosened his sword slightly and turned back toward us.
"Stay alert," Kael said, his voice low but grave. "This forest is not just made of trees. Umbra means 'shadow.' The entities here can sense mana. Lucius, it might be easier for you, but the mana of the mages beside us is like a beacon for the predators in the dark."
Asteria finished his thought:
"The General is right. Alfredo, Elliot, keep your mana contained within as much as possible. In the Umbra Forest, 'Mana Leakage' is the greatest danger. Most of the monsters here are blind, but they can sense magical energy from kilometers away. Especially Shadow Wolves they hunt in packs. They feed more on fear and weakness than on physical strikes."
Alfredo looked around anxiously: "Lady Asteria, even deeper into the forest? They say even the plants there are alive."
Asteria nodded:
"Yes, in the depths, there are plants that emit deceptive and poisonous mists. But for now, our biggest problem is those red eyes watching us."
We all froze. Kael immediately drew his sword from its sheath. Asteria had already begun moving her hands in the air, tracing a small defensive circle.
"Let's save the gossip for later," Kael said with a grim smile. "Goblin scouts and one Ogre..."
First, the disgusting laughter of the goblins emerged from the darkness, followed by heavy footsteps that caused the ground to tremble. A massive Ogre emerged from the bushes, wielding a spiked tree trunk.
"Maintain formation!" Kael shouted. "Alfredo, Elliot, keep the goblins away! Lucius, you're with me. We need to bring this Ogre to its knees!"
The battle began. A beam of blue fire from Elliot's hands pierced the darkness and felled the first goblin. Alfredo created a wall of wind, halting the other goblins' arrows in mid-air.
I gripped Antler tightly. The massive trunk the Ogre swung at me came whistling through the air.
"Now!" Kael barked.
As Kael maneuvered to the giant's right, I crawled low to the left. The Ogre's massive trunk slammed into the spot where I had stood moments before with a thunderous crash; the ground shook, and dust and dirt flew into the air. This was my chance.
As the giant strained to lift the trunk from the ground, its entire left side was left defenseless. Kael was already in motion; he used his sword to make a deep gash behind the giant's right kneecap. The massive creature roared in pain and was forced to drop its right knee to the ground.
"Now, Lucius! For the throat!" Kael shouted.
Putting all my strength into my legs, I lunged forward and plunged my sword through its thick hide into its throat.
Black, foul-smelling blood sprayed out. The giant's roar was stifled, and it collapsed to the ground like a massive mountain.
Meanwhile, the situation on the rear front had also heated up. The combined magical power of Alfredo and Elliot was tearing the goblins apart. While Elliot's fireballs burned the trees the goblins tried to take cover behind, Alfredo used the force of the wind to push back those attempting to flee. Asteria stood motionless, her hand held high, protecting us from any hidden attacks.
Kael wiped the blood from his sword and came to my side. "Not bad at all for your first monster, Lucius. You managed to keep your composure."
"Thank you, Master."
But there was concern on Asteria's face. She wasn't looking at the fallen giant's corpse, but deeper into the forest.
"Quiet," Asteria whispered. "This giant and these goblins didn't come here by accident. Something is drawing them here."
Suddenly, several dark strikes rained from the sky, but Asteria's shield deflected these attacks. While the foul odor rising from the giant's corpse still hung in the air, a howling sound from the depths of the forest chilled everyone's blood.
"They're coming!" Kael shouted, bringing his sword to a defensive stance.
The first Shadow Wolves emerged from the mist. Their bodies were not solid but seemed to be made of smoke, with only their eyes glowing like red flames. Five more appeared one after another. They were trying to surround us.
Asteria stood in the center and took command:
"Alfredo, Elliot! They turn into mist to evade physical strikes. You must stabilize them! Elliot, send a Light Orb to the center! Alfredo, use your wind to disperse the mist so we can see the targets!"
Elliot raised his hands to the sky. "Understood!" A brilliant ball of light shot from his fingertips toward the forest canopy, illuminating the surroundings like an artificial day. This bright light agitated the wolves; their shadow bodies became darker and more visible.
Alfredo immediately followed by tracing a large circle in the air with his staff. "Wind Wave!" A powerful gust chased the purple mist away from the wolves. Now, they could no longer hide.
"Now, Lucius! Strike the shadow!" Kael lunged forward.
I gripped Antler firmly. As the first wolf lunged at me, I tilted my body and swung my sword toward that dark void between its eyes.
When the steel cut through the wolf's shadow body, it didn't make a metallic sound, but rather a sound like paper tearing. The wolf dissipated into smoke, but began to reform seconds later.
"They won't die!" I shouted.
"They don't die; they only weaken!" Asteria called out from behind. "You must find their core! There is a small dark stone in each of their bodies; we must shatter it!"
Kael had already pierced one of the wolves' bodies with his sword, finding and crushing the small core. "Lucius, watch out, the one on your left is jumping!"
The shadow wolf lunged at me like a black arrow. Asteria struck her staff against the ground, and the shadows around the wolf turned into chains, suspending it in mid-air for a moment.
"Now, Lucius! Right in the center of its chest!" Asteria screamed.
The moment the tip of the sword touched the core, a deafening sound of shattering glass was heard. The wolf's body was blown into the air with a terrifying sound and vanished. But there was no time to rest; the other three wolves broke free from Asteria's chains and prepared to pounce on Alfredo and Elliot.
"Don't break formation!" Kael shouted. He spun with incredible speed, splitting the core of an approaching wolf in two with a single strike. "Lucius, help Alfredo and Elliot, I'll hold the right flank!"
With a swift move, I stepped in front of the mages. Elliot was nearing exhaustion; keeping the light orb aloft was draining his energy. At that exact moment, a wolf glided through the mist, lunging for Elliot's throat.
"No, you don't!" I yelled, spinning in the air to block the wolf.
As I drove the steel into the wolf's body, I felt my sword growing heavy. Cutting through so many shadows was creating a strange layer on the blade. But I didn't stop. I crushed the wolf's core with the hilt of the sword.
Finally, the last wolf was turned to mist by Kael's heavy strike and vanished into the depths. The heavy, suffocating silence returned. Elliot collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath, as the light orb flickered out and was replaced by the natural dim light of the forest.
Asteria came over and checked everyone. "Is anyone wounded?"
"Everyone is alive, Master," I replied, though my arms were trembling from exhaustion. Since my mana wasn't active yet, I had moved solely with physical strength throughout the entire fight.
Kael cleaned his sword and sheathed it, looking at me with a serious expression:
"Did you feel it, Lucius? It's as if something is directing them toward our target."
Asteria looked at me; this was likely due to the Crystal that was leaking mana.
"There should be an ancient temple ruin a bit further ahead," Asteria said, looking at the map. "We must spend the night there. Sleeping in the open in the Umbra Forest is suicide."