"So, we're all leaving?" Valon asked, glancing around at the four sitting in a loose circle, their decision already made.
"Got a problem with that?" Nyx grinned, cocky to his heart, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of chaos.
Valon's scowl deepened as he turned toward Theo, who was somehow part of the group—despite carrying what looked like ten swords strapped to his backpack like some wandering armory.
"And why the hell are you here?"
"I'm accompanying Nyx," Theo replied, practically vibrating with fanboy energy, like he'd just met his idol and was trying not to faint.
"Come on, let's move. We ain't got all day," Nyx declared, grabbing Valon by the neck and locking him in a casual headlock, dragging him along like a sack of potatoes.
"Oi—OII! Release me, you bastard!" Valon growled, flailing as the rest of the group burst into laughter, trailing after them.
By the time they reached the city gates, a familiar figure stood waiting—Reina, a backpack slung over her shoulder like she'd never left.
"Didn't you leave yesterday?" Samantha asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Oh, I just went to gather some necessary supplies," Reina said flatly, her poker face on point.
Samantha narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious—but didn't press it. Instead, she simply nodded, letting Reina fall in line with the rest.
"So this is it? All of us?" Valon asked, glaring sideways at Nyx as if trying to divine just how this group got assembled.
With a little bickering and a whole lot of barely-contained energy, the squad marched off—toward the Forest of the End, the infamous den of demonic monsters.
---
Deep Within the Forest...
"So, Nyx…" Ruby started, her voice tight with concern. She stood close to Samantha—too close, honestly—and Reina hovered nearby like an awkward satellite. "Are we just… killing our way through? Or is there an actual destination?"
"Yeah," Samantha cut in sharply. "Do we have a plan, or are we just marching to die?"
"We're heading to the core of the forest," Nyx said as he leapt up a nearby tree with effortless grace, eyes scanning the terrain like a hawk.
"The core? This forest even has one?" Reina asked, hand clenched around her wand.
"Well," Nyx replied, hopping down and unsheathing his sword, "the core's not our final destination. But yeah... You'll understand when we get there. Buckle up. Monsters here aren't your average training dummies. They're sturdy—and they'll hurt."
Valon immediately tensed as he noticed Nyx drop into a battle stance.
"What are you doing?"
"We've got a swarm incoming," Nyx smirked, his eyes fixed north.
"O-oii! Give a warning first, dammit!" Valon cursed, drawing his weapon as he stepped beside Nyx, ready to shield the others.
Behind them, Samantha and Theo held the middle line, while the mages—Ruby and Reina—kept to the rear, ready to cast from a distance.
"Impact in... 3... 2... 1... CHARGE!" Nyx roared.
And then the forest exploded into motion—monsters swarming like a living tide.
---
"Theo! DUCK!"
Nyx lunged, his blade flashing as the monster pounced toward Theo. One clean slice, and the creature was down. But Nyx didn't stop—he surged forward, carving a path through the swarm like a demon loosed from hell.
To one side, Valon and Samantha fought in sync—cleaving and stabbing with practiced teamwork. Their rhythm was tight, but their speed… still couldn't match Nyx's slaughter-fueled rampage.
At the rear, Ruby unleashed her usual arsenal—drowning monsters in tidal bursts and skewering them with high-pressure water bullets. But with Reina at her side, their effectiveness had spiked. Ruby trapped, Reina corroded—one wave after another.
Even so, the cracks were showing.
Theo was panting hard, barely keeping up. Reina, too, looked overwhelmed—her wand trembling in her grip. Compared to the frontliners, these two were struggling to stay afloat in the chaos. Samantha and Valon were holding strong, but even they were showing signs of fatigue.
And Nyx saw it.
He leapt back, eyes scanning the battlefield, then barked out,
"All of you—retreat! And close your ears!"
Without hesitation, he launched upward—springing off thick branches, ascending high into the forest canopy like a shadow with wings.
Valon's eyes widened.
"Oh shit—he's doing that thing again."
He bolted, sprinting toward the rear. Samantha didn't ask questions—she grabbed Theo by the collar, hoisting his exhausted form like a sack of potatoes, and followed.
Reina faltered, confused.
"Wait—why retreat? There's still monsters—"
Theo, gasping between breaths, asked weakly,
"Why… retreat? They're still… so many left…"
Valon, slumped against a tree and breathing hard, gave him a deadpan glare.
"You wanted to learn from that crazy bastard, right? Take a good look at what real crazy looks like."
The group's eyes snapped to the treetops.
Nyx had reached the peak. Standing on a lone, sunlit branch, wind ripping at his tattered coat, he smirked—like this was nothing more than a game.
His sword slid back into its sheath.
Then… he activated it.
A swirling vortex of wind erupted around him, branches shaking violently. Dozens of mini fireballs spiraled into existence, orbiting the cyclone like deadly satellites.
A massive fire arrow—javelin-sized and roaring with heat—formed in Nyx's hand as he dove, the eye of his own storm.
He whispered one word, low and cocky:
"Blazing Arrow."
BOOOOOOM.
The impact slammed into the ground with the force of a meteor strike. A massive crater exploded outward—ash, blood, and charred debris flying in every direction. There was nothing left. No flesh. No bones. Just smoke and scorched earth.
But it didn't end there.
As the flaming javelin detonated, the surrounding vortex slammed downward too—scattering the remaining monsters in a hailstorm of molten fire and slicing wind.
A rain of annihilation.
Valon, watching the carnage from a safe distance, muttered,
"That crazy bastard…"
When the smoke cleared, Nyx walked back toward them—his clothes scorched, boots smoldering, and hair wild from the blast. His expression? Same smug, tired grin.
Valon stepped forward, clapped a hand on his shoulder, and stared into his eyes.
"If you do that again… forget the monsters. I'll die from a goddamn heart attack."
---
"You seriously are an abomination, Nyx," Ruby muttered, trying to catch her breath, her face flushed with both exhaustion and disbelief.
Valon stayed quiet—not out of respect, but sheer refusal to offer praise. His silence said it all: I'm not giving you the satisfaction.
Theo, on the other hand, looked like a puppy that just watched God perform a magic trick. His eyes were sparkling—literally sparkling—with raw, unfiltered admiration.
Reina simply stared at Nyx like he'd just rewritten the laws of physics. Disbelief etched across her face. She didn't blink. Didn't move. Just—stared.
Samantha approached him, her steps calm despite the chaos they'd just endured. She handed him a water flask.
"You okay?"
Nyx just nodded, cool and casual, like he hadn't just vaporized half a battlefield. He took a swig, then turned and made for the trees again, climbing with the same lazy grace he always had.
A few minutes passed.
Then he returned, now dressed in a clean set of clothes—because of course he was—looking like the fight hadn't even scuffed his ego.
"No monsters in the vicinity," he said, already unpacking supplies. "We can camp here."
Valon let out a snort, arms crossed as he leaned against a tree.
"Yeah… after that stunt? If any monsters are still out there, I'll rescue them myself."
His voice was dry, annoyed, and laced with a grudging respect he'd rather choke on than admit.
---
Nyx sat alone by the campfire, eyes scanning the dark treeline, his posture relaxed—but his senses sharp. The flames crackled behind him, casting long shadows that danced across the forest floor.
Then, footsteps.
"You're up?" Nyx asked, not turning.
"Yeah…" Samantha's voice was soft, still touched by sleep. "Short nap. Good enough."
She dropped down beside him, close but not touching. The silence between them was comfortable—familiar.
Nyx's expression softened, just a little.
"The way ahead is going to be a lot more dangerous," he said, eyes still locked on the shadows. "You all need to be ready—for whatever comes. No hesitations. No second guesses."
Samantha raised an eyebrow, smirking as she handed him a strip of beef jerky.
"Are you… worried about us? That's new coming from you."
Nyx bit off a piece, chewing lazily. "No," he replied, then added, "That's why it's time you guys got a power-up."
Samantha chuckled, memories surfacing. "You've got such a strange way of doing things. Normally, we have to buy skillbooks from dungeons or labyrinths to learn new skills—but your method? Totally backwards."
"Get used to it," Nyx said, smirking around a mouthful. "There's a lot more coming that'll mess with your understanding of 'normal.'"
She watched him for a moment, thoughtful. "Where are we heading next?"
Nyx didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he reached into his system storage and pulled out a small black box—sleek, featureless, ominous. He opened it slowly.
Inside sat a crystal ball, glowing a dim red, pulsing with a faint flickering light. It almost seemed to breathe.
Nyx held it in both hands, his expression unreadable.
"This," he said quietly, "will guide us. The Rune of the World Tree."
Samantha blinked. "That's…"
But Nyx wasn't listening. His eyes were locked on the crystal—focused, calculating.
He could feel it again.
That same aura—subtle, but familiar. Twisting in the air like a whisper he couldn't quite hear.
'It's been bothering me ever since we stepped into this forest.'