A week passed.
The day they promised finally arrived.
The sky was still dim when Kael stood near the academy's back gate.
"So quiet…" he muttered softly.
Then again, barely anyone knew about this place.
Light footsteps approached from behind.
Kael didn't turn around.
"…You came."
Irieth stopped beside him.
"I'm the one who invited you," she replied shortly.
A faint smile appeared on Kael's face.
"Ready?"
Irieth nodded.
Without another word—
the two of them left the academy together.
This time…
they weren't sneaking out.
Even so, it somehow felt different.
Inside the Forest
The forest welcomed them with the same atmosphere as before.
Cold.
Silent.
But not nearly as oppressive.
Kael walked slightly ahead while Irieth stayed beside him.
Just the two of them.
"…It's quiet," Irieth murmured.
Kael nodded slowly. "We're not going too deep, okay?"
Irieth glanced at him.
"Scared?"
Kael chuckled softly.
"More like… I don't want anything happening to you."
Irieth didn't answer.
But her pace slowed slightly.
A few moments later—
GRRR…
A low growl came from behind the bushes.
Kael immediately stopped.
His hand moved toward the hilt of his sword by reflex.
"Get ready, Irieth. Something's coming."
"Demonic wolves…" he muttered.
From the shadows—
two wolves slowly emerged.
Red eyes.
Long fangs.
Their bodies lowered, ready to pounce.
Kael stepped forward slightly—
but—
"Wait."
Irieth stopped him.
"I'll handle them."
Kael looked at her for a few seconds.
Then stepped back.
"Okay."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Show me."
The next instant—
WHOOSH!!
One of the wolves lunged forward.
Fast.
But—
Irieth didn't panic.
She raised her hand.
A soft glow gathered at her fingertips.
Growing denser.
"Bind."
CRACK!!
A magic circle spread across the ground.
Large roots burst upward and wrapped around one of the wolves instantly.
"GRRR?!"
The second wolf leaped from the side.
"Too slow."
Irieth tilted her body calmly.
Her movements were light.
Smooth.
Kael watched without blinking.
…As expected, she was strong.
The second wolf attacked again—
FWOOSH!!
Ice bullets shot forward at high speed.
"GRAAA!!"
The monster's body slammed into a tree.
But Irieth wasn't done.
She raised her hand once more.
Her mana control was far more stable than before.
That core was clearly helping.
"End."
FLASH!!
Light pierced through the forest.
Both wolves collapsed at the same time.
Silent.
Finished.
The forest fell quiet again.
Irieth let out a soft breath.
Kael walked closer.
"Not bad."
Irieth shot him a sharp look immediately.
"Just 'not bad'?"
Kael smiled slightly.
"If I say 'amazing,' you'll get full of yourself."
Irieth looked away.
"…Annoying."
Even so—
a small smile still appeared on her lips.
Kael noticed it.
"…The core's helping?"
Irieth nodded slowly.
"My mana control feels smoother now."
Kael looked satisfied.
"Good."
A gentle breeze passed through the trees.
There was no heavy pressure.
No terrifying aura like when they fought the Orc King.
Only…
peace.
Different from before.
Irieth stepped slightly closer.
"…Kael."
"Yeah?"
"This is… better."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Better?"
"Better than you leaving without me."
Kael laughed quietly.
"Yeah, yeah… my bad."
Irieth looked at him directly.
"…Don't do it again."
Kael nodded casually.
"Yes, ma'am."
Irieth immediately looked away.
"…Don't call me that."
Kael only laughed harder.
Their trip through the forest wasn't over yet.
A few minutes later—
Kael suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
Irieth stopped beside him.
Kael narrowed his eyes toward the front.
"…There's a lot of them."
The next second—
GRRAAA!!
Three monsters burst out from the trees at once.
Not wolves.
Their bodies were larger.
Dark gray skin.
Armed goblins.
But these weren't ordinary goblins.
Their bodies were covered in scars and rough iron armor.
"Goblin warriors…" Irieth muttered.
Kael immediately drew his sword.
"Let's try fighting together this time."
Irieth looked at him.
"…Together?"
Kael smiled faintly.
"You support me. I'll take the front."
Before she could answer—
WHOOSH!!
One goblin charged at Kael with an axe raised high.
CLANG!!
Kael blocked the strike effortlessly.
But—
a second goblin rushed in from the side.
Fast.
"Three directions," Kael muttered.
"Irieth!"
"I know!"
A magic circle appeared beneath Kael's feet.
BOOST.
Mana flowed directly into his body.
Kael grinned.
"…Oh?"
His body shot forward.
CRACK!!
The ground shattered as he vanished.
SLASH!!
One goblin was split apart before it could react.
But the third goblin jumped from above.
Its rusty blade swung toward Kael's head—
"Bind."
CRACK!!
Roots instantly wrapped around the monster's legs midair.
"Now!"
Kael didn't waste the opening.
He spun his body.
His sword flashed.
SHING!!
The goblin's head flew off.
The last monster roared and charged wildly.
But this time—
Kael didn't fight alone.
"Irieth, right side."
"Already done."
FLASH!!
Ice magic struck the goblin's eyes.
"GRAAAAH!!"
The monster lost its balance for a moment.
Kael appeared right in front of it.
Their eyes met for a split second.
"…Too slow."
SLASH!!
A clean slash cut straight through the monster.
Silence.
The goblins collapsed one after another.
Irieth stared at Kael for a few seconds.
"…You really like charging in without thinking."
Kael slowly sheathed his sword.
"But that was good teamwork."
Irieth went silent briefly.
"…A little."
Kael laughed softly.
"Haha."
But just as they were about to continue—
Kael suddenly stopped again.
His instincts…
reacted once more.
Someone.
Someone was watching them.
From deep within the forest shadows.
Their gaze locked onto Kael.
"…So that's Kael."
A quiet voice echoed faintly.
"The young master of the Rynthier family…"
The wind blew.
And the figure—
vanished completely.
As if they had never been there.
The goblins' bodies slowly dissolved into thin mana particles.
Kael scanned the area carefully.
His instincts still felt uneasy.
"…There's still something around here," he muttered.
Irieth walked closer.
"You felt that person too?"
Kael nodded slowly.
"Yeah… but they didn't show any killing intent."
"The same person you mentioned before?"
"Maybe."
Irieth frowned slightly.
But before they could continue—
CRACK.
A branch snapped somewhere to the right.
Both of them turned instantly.
GRRRR…
Low growls echoed through the forest.
One.
Then two.
Then more.
Kael slowly drew his sword again.
"…Looks like the blood attracted them."
From behind the trees—
shadows began to emerge.
Demonic wolves.
But this time there were far more of them.
Ten.
Maybe more.
Their glowing red eyes lit up the darkness.
Irieth's expression turned serious.
"…That's a lot."
Kael only smiled faintly.
"This is a good chance to test our teamwork."
"Hm?"
"We've never fought this many enemies together before."
The next second—
HOWLLLL!!
The entire pack charged at once.
The ground trembled beneath their steps.
Fast.
Even faster than before.
Kael immediately rushed forward.
"I'll handle the front!"
CLANG!!
His sword collided with the claws of the first wolf.
But another one lunged from the side.
FLASH!!
Ice magic struck its head before it could reach him.
"Focus on the front, Kael!"
"I know!"
Kael spun his body.
SLASH!!
Blood sprayed through the air as one wolf was cut in half.
But the pack didn't stop.
They kept coming.
From the left.
Right.
Behind.
"Irieth!"
"I'm ready!"
A large magic circle spread beneath them.
Mana surged across the area.
"Field Bind."
CRACK—!!
Massive roots burst from the earth.
Not just one.
Dozens.
The entire forest became chaotic instantly.
Several wolves were bound immediately.
Others leaped away to avoid them.
Kael grinned.
"…Nice one, Irieth."
BOOST!!
With her magic supporting him, Kael's speed increased dramatically.
SHING!!
SHING!!
SHING!!
His sword flashed between the trees.
One monster after another fell.
But then—
a massive wolf appeared from behind.
Larger than the others.
Its body was covered in scars.
And—
the mana around it felt different.
"The leader…? An elite monster?" Kael muttered.
The beast lunged immediately.
Incredibly fast.
Kael barely dodged in time.
BOOM!!
The ground exploded beneath its claws.
"Kael!"
Irieth raised her hand instantly.
Dozens of ice bullets formed in the air.
"Sky Pierce!"
FWOOSH!!
The barrage shot forward.
But—
the wolf dodged.
Fast.
Too fast.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"…Interesting."
The monster growled deeply while staring directly at him.
As if it had chosen him as its prey.
The next instant—
WHOOSH!!
It vanished.
Fast.
But this time—
Kael read its movement perfectly.
CLANG!!
His sword blocked the wolf's claws right beside his face.
The impact cracked the ground beneath him.
"Heh…"
Kael smiled faintly.
"You're stronger than the others."
The monster growled and opened its mouth—
dark mana gathering rapidly.
"Irieth! Back!"
BOOOOM!!
The explosion tore through the forest.
Dust filled the air instantly.
But through the smoke—
FLASH!!
Irieth's light magic pierced straight toward the monster.
"Now, Kael!"
Kael dashed forward.
His body nearly disappeared from sight.
In a split second—
he appeared above the beast.
His sword rose high.
"…Finished."
SLASH!!
A clean strike cut straight through the elite wolf.
Its massive body crashed heavily onto the ground.
Silence.
The remaining wolves slowly backed away.
Their instincts told them one thing—
they couldn't defeat these two humans.
And moments later—
the entire pack disappeared into the forest.
Silence returned once more.
Kael exhaled softly while sheathing his sword.
"…Not bad."
Irieth walked closer.
"You call everything 'not bad.'"
Kael laughed quietly.
"That's because these are just ordinary monsters."
Irieth let out a small snort.
Though her cheeks were slightly red.
Kael then looked toward the elite wolf's corpse.
"…The monsters around here are getting strange."
Irieth followed his gaze.
"Because of that mysterious person?"
"Maybe."
A cold wind blew again.
And somehow—
Kael felt like they were walking toward something far bigger than they realized.
Kael approached the elite wolf's corpse.
The monster had completely stopped moving.
Black blood slowly spread across the ground.
Irieth crouched beside him as Kael cut open the beast's chest.
A few moments later—
a dark blue core appeared inside.
Kael picked it up slowly.
"…Extra pocket money."
The core felt much more stable than normal monster cores.
Irieth looked at it briefly.
"That monster was stronger than usual."
Kael nodded while putting the core into a small pouch.
"…Maybe it's time to head back, Irieth."
Irieth immediately turned toward him.
"Back?"
"Yeah."
Kael looked deeper into the forest.
"I've got a bad feeling if we keep going."
Irieth stayed silent for a moment.
Then nodded.
"…Okay."
But a few seconds later—
her expression changed again.
"But before we return to the academy…"
"Hm?"
"Let's go to town first."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"The town?"
Irieth nodded quickly.
"It's still daytime anyway."
Kael laughed softly.
"If you call almost three in the afternoon daytime… that's already evening."
"Whatever," Irieth replied while grabbing his hand.
"Let's just go."
Kael smiled faintly.
"…Alright."