Garen vanished.
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
His body shot toward Elias like a projectile.
His claws were aimed directly at Elias's chest.
Elias's eyes widened.
He couldn't dodge.
His body was exhausted.
His ribs were injured.
His arms were barely strong enough to hold himself up.
And Garen was too fast.
I'm going to die.
Elias instinctively raised his broken sword.
Then—
ROAAAR!
Something erupted from the darkness.
A massive Fanghorn lunged toward Garen.
Its jaws opened wide.
Its enormous teeth aimed straight for his neck.
Garen's eyes widened.
"What?!"
He twisted his body at the last possible moment.
SWOOSH!
The Fanghorn's jaws passed within a hair's breadth of his neck.
Garen landed several meters away.
His expression changed.
"That speed..."
The Fanghorn landed heavily.
BOOM!
It turned toward Garen.
Its eyes were different from the others.
Sharper.
More focused.
Garen stared at it.
"...Savage level."
Elias, still on the ground, looked confused.
"Savage?"
Garen didn't take his eyes off the beast.
"You don't even know?"
The Fanghorn lowered its head.
Garen slowly stepped backward.
"There are levels among monsters."
His voice was tense.
"Most beasts never advance beyond their natural state."
He pointed his weapon toward the creature.
"That's the Beast Level."
The Fanghorn growled.
"But when a beast survives enough battles, absorbs enough mana, and undergoes a certain degree of evolution..."
Its muscles tightened.
"...it can reach the Savage Level."
The beast suddenly charged.
Garen dodged.
The Fanghorn tore through a tree.
BOOM!
Garen glanced at the destroyed tree.
"A Savage-level beast possesses greater physical strength, speed, instincts, and intelligence than an ordinary beast."
He looked at Elias.
"After Savage comes Noble."
The Fanghorn turned.
Its eyes locked onto Garen again.
"Noble-level beasts are different. Their intelligence begins to develop beyond simple instinct."
"After Noble comes Demi-Apex."
The Fanghorn charged again.
Garen blocked.
BOOM!
The force pushed him backward.
"Then Apex."
Garen's eyes narrowed.
"And finally..."
He looked at the beast.
"King Level."
The Fanghorn suddenly roared.
The entire forest trembled.
But Garen didn't move.
He had already noticed something.
The creature's movements were powerful.
Fast.
But reckless.
It had strength.
It had intelligence.
But it hadn't reached Noble.
Garen understood immediately.
"As long as it hasn't reached Noble..."
His eyes hardened.
"It's still ruled by instinct."
The Fanghorn turned.
Its prey had escaped.
Garen.
Then Elias.
Its eyes searched the forest.
And found another target.
Lena.
The unconscious girl lay beneath the tree.
The Fanghorn lowered its head.
Elias saw it.
His eyes widened.
"Lena!"
He tried to move.
His body refused.
He forced himself onto one knee.
I have to help her.
But then he looked at Garen.
The memory of the previous attack flashed through his mind.
The speed.
The strength.
The transformation.
The killing intent.
Elias's hands trembled.
If Garen had wanted him dead a few seconds earlier...
He would already be dead.
And now the Fanghorn was attacking Lena.
Elias took a step forward.
Then stopped.
He looked at Garen.
Then at Lena.
His mind raced.
Garen knocked her unconscious.
He wouldn't have done that if he wanted her dead.
Elias gritted his teeth.
He hated the thought.
But he understood.
Garen would protect her.
Especially after everything he had said.
Elias turned.
And ran.
For the first time in his life...
He chose to run away from someone who needed help.
Behind him—
"ELIAS!"
Garen saw him fleeing.
His expression twisted with frustration.
"That damn kid..."
He couldn't chase him.
Not yet.
The Fanghorn was already charging toward Lena.
Garen's face became grim.
"If that girl dies..."
His thoughts immediately went to the elves.
Their faces.
Their warnings.
Their orders.
The girl was not to be harmed.
Not under any circumstances.
If anything happened to her...
The elves wouldn't forgive him.
They wouldn't simply punish him.
They would hang him.
Garen turned toward the Fanghorn.
"You're going to cost me my life, aren't you?"
The beast charged.
Garen's claws extended.
His Drake form surged with power.
"Fine."
He lowered himself.
"Then I'll kill you first."
BOOM!
Garen and the Fanghorn collided.
The forest shook.
Meanwhile...
Elias ran.
His lungs burned.
His wounds screamed.
Every step felt like his body was going to collapse.
But he didn't stop.
He didn't look back.
He knew he had made a terrible choice.
But he also knew something else.
If he stayed...
He would die.
And if he died now...
He would never discover the truth.
The truth about humanity.
The truth hidden inside those ancient books.
The truth behind his father's key.
The truth behind why Garen had been watching him.
Elias clenched his teeth.
"I'll come back."
He didn't know if that was a promise...
Or simply something he told himself so he could keep running.
Behind him, another roar shook the forest.
And the battle between the Drake and the Savage-level Fanghorn had begun.