The northern forest did not welcome him loudly. It did not roar or shake or announce danger with theatrical thunder.
Instead, it shifted quietly—branches leaning just slightly inward, wind moving against the natural grain, birds taking flight in the opposite direction of his steps.
Jeather noticed.
He always noticed.
It was a habit from another life.
The path beyond Ardent District's regulated boundary was narrower than official maps suggested. The deeper he walked, the thinner civilization became. Hunter markers nailed into tree trunks appeared less frequently. Warning sigils carved into bark grew older, more faded.
Good.
That meant fewer witnesses.
His boots crushed over fallen leaves as filtered sunlight painted fractured patterns across the ground. The air smelled damp and mineral-rich. Somewhere far ahead, water moved—slow and steady.
The nine-leaf clover tattoo beneath his sleeve tingled faintly.
Probability.
Subtle shifts.
A squirrel leapt from one branch to another—and slipped.
Not dramatically.
Just slightly off-balance before correcting itself midair.
Jeather stopped.
"…That's new."
He extended his senses carefully. The Verdant Abyss Demon remained present within him—calm, vast, and coiled like ancient roots beneath soil.
He exhaled.
"I'm not imagining this."
A translucent blue screen flickered into existence.
[Environmental Irregularity Detected]
Minor Probability Distortion Within 300m Radius
Source: Unknown
Jeather stared at the notification.
"Of course," he muttered. "The forest is bending statistics."
The screen updated.
[System Mission Issued]
Seal a Probability-Aspected Beast
Minimum Rank: Silver
Reward: Verdant Evolution stone
Jeather blinked once.
Then twice.
"…So I'm hunting fate now?"
The screen remained blank.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It's like that show where you collect them all, huh."
He paused.
"…Well."
A faint smile formed.
"I kinda like collecting these."
He flexed his fingers slightly.
"Let's just have this as my side hobby."
A brief silence followed.
"…Aside from the revenge this body keeps trying to remind me about."
The wind shifted.
Leaves rustled.
Jeather adjusted the strap of his satchel and stepped deeper into the trees.
If probability was warping, it would anchor near water. Most anomaly-type beasts preferred natural reservoirs—stable mana pools where environmental fluctuations amplified.
And he could hear water.
As he moved, the forest tested him.
The first beast emerged from beneath a pile of leaves—its bark-textured shell blending nearly perfectly with the ground.
Rootback Tortoise – Bronze Rank.
Its moss-covered shell cracked open slightly as it hissed, revealing glowing orange lines beneath hardened wood plating.
Jeather didn't hesitate.
He flicked a card into the air.
Green-black energy spiraled outward.
The Verdant Abyss Demon manifested behind him—not fully towering, but condensed into a controlled projection of twisting vines and bark-armored musculature.
It moved without wasted motion.
One vine-arm lashed forward, slamming the tortoise sideways before it could fully charge.
The ground beneath it erupted with thorned roots, pinning its limbs.
The beast roared.
The demon's emerald eyes flared once.
Thorns tightened.
Crack.
Silence.
Jeather walked forward calmly and pressed a blank card to the defeated creature.
Light surged.
The beast dissolved into green particles and compressed into the card.
[Card Sealed]
Rootback Tortoise – Bronze Rank
Stability: High
Jeather examined it briefly.
"Solid defense," he murmured.
Then he slipped it into his satchel.
"See? Productive hobby."
He continued walking.
Further in, the air grew cooler.
A flicker moved through the underbrush—fast and sharp.
Thornspine Weasel – Common Rank.
It lunged.
The demon moved first.
A vine snapped downward, pinning the creature mid-leap.
Another tendril coiled around its torso and lifted it effortlessly.
The beast screeched.
Jeather tilted his head.
"Common rank," he muttered.
The demon crushed it without ceremony.
Efficient.
Precise.
The body dissolved into residual mana dust.
Jeather didn't even bother sealing that one.
He kept walking.
And walking.
The forest shifted again.
Two more Bronze-tier beasts attempted ambushes—both fell within seconds beneath Verdant's controlled brutality.
Each time, Jeather felt the faint surge of mana feeding back into him.
Each time, the question grew louder in his mind.
"Why are you this strong?"
He stopped near a fallen log.
The Verdant Abyss Demon manifested more clearly this time—towering, bark-skinned, emerald eyes glowing faintly beneath twisted horned branches.
The system display hovered faintly at the edge of his vision.
Verdant Abyss Demon
Rank: Common (Corrupted Variant)
Passive: Strengthens in Hostile Environments
Growth Status: Active
Jeather folded his arms.
"You're Common rank."
The demon remained silent.
"You just crushed multiple Bronze beasts like they were decorative plants."
A vine twitched slightly.
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Mutation," he murmured.
Corrupted variant.
Strengthens in hostile environments.
The forest was tense.
Hunters were disappearing.
Probability was shifting.
Maybe rank wasn't the entire story.
Maybe classification was simply… conservative.
"…You're cheating the system, aren't you?"
The demon's emerald gaze flickered faintly.
Jeather smirked.
"I approve."
He continued walking until the trees finally parted.
The lake stretched wide and unnaturally still before him.
Its surface reflected the sky too perfectly.
No ripples.
No insects skimming water.
Even the breeze seemed to avoid disturbing it.
Jeather stepped closer.
The tattoo pulsed stronger.
Probability distortion intensified.
The system flickered again.
[Anomaly Density Increasing]
Source Within Lake
He crouched at the shoreline.
The water was clear.
Too clear.
He saw fish.
He saw stones.
He saw—
A second reflection.
Not his.
Something beneath the surface mirrored him slightly off-timing.
Jeather straightened slowly.
"…That's unsettling."
The lake exploded upward.
Water twisted into a spiraling column as a serpentine figure emerged—its body semi-translucent, scales shimmering like fractured glass.
Clover Serpent – Silver Rank
Aspect: Probability Shift
Its eyes were pale gold.
Its body coiled midair as if gravity were optional.
Jeather exhaled slowly.
"Silver minimum," he murmured.
"Good."
The serpent lunged—not toward him.
To his left.
A tree behind him snapped unexpectedly and fell forward at an unnatural angle.
Jeather jumped back instinctively.
The falling trunk missed him by inches.
Probability manipulation.
Small adjustments.
Deadly results.
He grinned faintly.
"Alright."
He flicked a card upward.
"Verdant."
The demon erupted fully behind him, aura spreading outward in dark green waves.
Roots burst from the soil, anchoring into the lakebed itself.
The serpent twisted, bending midair trajectory unnaturally.
A falling stone changed direction toward Jeather's head.
A branch snapped overhead.
The demon moved with brutal certainty.
Its vine-arm intercepted the redirected stone.
Another tendril caught the falling branch and hurled it aside.
The serpent lunged again.
This time directly.
Verdant stepped forward.
Not back.
Its bark-armored fist collided with the serpent's body.
Water exploded outward.
The serpent hissed, scales flickering as minor events around them shifted unpredictably—pebbles sliding underfoot, air pressure fluctuating, even light refracting strangely.
Jeather staggered slightly as his footing slipped.
The demon anchored him instantly—vines coiling around his ankle to steady him.
The serpent darted upward again, attempting to reposition.
Verdant's aura expanded.
Decay Bloom Field activated.
Flowers erupted from soil around the lake—then withered instantly.
Life cycle accelerated.
Entropy amplified.
The serpent's movements faltered slightly.
Probability resisted corruption.
But corruption did not negotiate.
Verdant leapt.
Its vine-arm extended unnaturally, wrapping around the serpent midair.
Thorns embedded into translucent scales.
The serpent shrieked as its distortions destabilized.
Jeather stepped forward, breath steady.
"End it."
The demon tightened its grip.
Crack.
Mana burst outward violently.
The lake's surface shattered into chaotic ripples.
The serpent collapsed.
Jeather pressed a blank card against its fading form.
Light engulfed the shoreline.
Particles compressed.
Silence returned.
[Mission Complete]
Clover Serpent – Silver Rank
Reward: Evolution Catalyst Fragment Acquired
Jeather stood there, breathing slowly.
He stared at the new card in his hand.
A shimmering serpent coiled within a circle of fractured clovers.
"…You're expensive," he murmured.
The tattoo burned faintly again.
Then dimmed.
He glanced toward the forest behind him.
Silver-tier sealed.
Bronze-tier cleared.
Anomaly reduced.
And yet…
The air still felt charged.
"Something else is here," he whispered.
But not Gold-tier.
Not yet.
He slid the card into his satchel carefully.
He glanced at Verdant.
The demon stood silent, aura faint but steady.
Still labeled Common.
Still overwhelming Silver.
He exhaled.
"You're mutated," he said quietly.
"Or misclassified."
The demon did not answer.
But its emerald gaze held something ancient.
Something patient.
Jeather turned back toward the forest path.
He rolled his shoulders once.
"I will now live my life to the fullest," he said calmly.
"And I will not let anyone get in my way."
The wind picked up slightly.
Leaves spiraled around him.
The lake behind him returned to stillness.
Probability, very slightly—
Tilted.
And deeper within the northern forest, something felt the shift.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Jeather smiled faintly as he walked back toward civilization, satchel heavier with new cards.
"Side hobby," he muttered.
"Collecting dangerous things."
He paused thoughtfully.
"…I should probably invest in better storage."