A dense, humid silence pressed in on Jai and James as they took their first, tentative steps into the Looming Verdant. This was no mere wood; it was a colossal, ancient forest, a world unto itself. Titanic trees, their barks scarred and moss-covered like the faces of old giants, clawed at the sky, their canopies woven into a thick, emerald ceiling.
The forest floor was a mosaic of shadow, with only slivers of sunlight managing to pierce the gloom, dusting the air with golden motes.
James, already sweating in his leather tunic, craned his neck, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and trepidation. "Gods above, Jai, how vast is this place? And how long will it actually take us to reach that blasted Dwarf Kingdom?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid the trees themselves would listen.
Jai, always the more composed of the two, sighed, adjusting the pack on his shoulder. "My mother mentioned the route through here. From this entry point, she estimated it's approximately one thousand kilometers to the kingdom's borders."
James stopped dead, his jaw slackening. "One thousand? What the hell! That's... that's two months of steady walking! Are you seriously telling me we have to trudge for that long?"
"Oh, it'll be more than one month, bro," Jai corrected, his tone dry. "We have to sleep at night, and every time we have to fight a beast, or even just hide from one, the clock stops. Stay sharp, be careful about what you see, and above all, make sure absolutely no one detects us."
James puffed out his chest, a flicker of his usual bravado returning. "If a beast comes, I'll use my space power to immobilize the damn thing. You just follow up and slice it. Simple."
Jai, a mental image of the arrogant Arthur flashing in his mind, shot James an annoyed look. "Bro, have you forgotten? There are things out here that are more powerful than mere Tier 10 Elemental Masters." He emphasized the rank, a subtle reminder of their own Tier 10 status—the weakest. "Rule number one: think of escaping first. Fighting is the absolute last resort."
A genuine look of worry, akin to the meek Clement's typical expression, crossed James's face, and he nodded silently.
They walked in silence for several minutes, the rustle of their footsteps masked by the soft forest sounds. But Jai, ever vigilant, suddenly froze, his hand snapping out to grab James's arm.
"Don't move," Jai hissed, his eyes scanning the dense undergrowth. "I sense footsteps. Something's close."
"A beast? Or just a human like us?" James whispered, trying to peer into the shadows.
Jai rolled his eyes. "Why do you think I bought this artifact, the Noise Specter? It's used to hear footsteps up to a kilometer away. And trust me, those are not human steps. They're too heavy, too powerful. It's a hundred percent a beast, and based on the gait, one that's likely just as powerful as we are."
They scrambled behind the thick trunk of a Dreadwood tree. Cautiously, Jai leaned out and peered around the bark. What he saw made his blood run cold: a creature that resembled a monstrous, tusked boar, but was easily the size of a small elephant.
"It's a baby Borren," Jai breathed, pulling back. "And it's exactly what I thought: a Tier 10 equivalent. In this world, beasts are born with their elemental powers and cores; they don't need any silly 'awakening ceremony' like we do."
Just as he finished speaking, a second set of sounds reached his enhanced hearing—a much deeper, heavier series of thuds that made the ground tremble faintly. Another one?
Then, a sudden wave of scorching heat washed over them. James gasped, instinctively tilting his head back. Looming over them, practically close enough to touch, was a colossal, enraged creature—the adult version. It was at least two times the size of the 'baby' Borren.
James tapped Jai's shoulder frantically. "Don't make any noise! That Borren will spot us and hunt us down," Jai muttered angrily, swatting James's hand away. "They're carnivorous. They only eat meat!"
James tapped him again, more insistently.
"What the fuck do you want, James?!" Jai finally snapped, twisting his neck to look behind him.
His eyes met the dark, molten-gold eyes of the gigantic Mother Borren.
"Maybe... maybe it's the mother," Jai stammered, his mind racing.
In a surge of panic, James slammed his palm to the ground and cast his Space Spell—Earth Dance. The air shimmered, but nothing happened. The Mother Borren remained rooted, perfectly still. Both of them stared in shock. Why didn't it work?
"Now, James!"
Jai, having planned for this possibility, hurled a concussion bomb at the beast's enormous face. The explosion was loud and blinding, momentarily stunning the Mother Borren, but it was just a diversion.
They bolted.
"Why didn't my spell work on her?" James yelled as they sprinted through the dense undergrowth, the furious squeals of the Borren close behind them.
"She's too strong, bro!" Jai shouted back. "She must be a Tier 9 or even a Tier 8 Elemental Beast! We have to get out of here!"
His eyes spotted a dark, inviting shadow nestled between two root systems: a cave. They plunged into the darkness.
Inside, panting and desperate, James fumbled with a delicate silver chain around his neck. "The Blessing Bracelet! Miss Beatrice gave it to us for emergencies. Should we use it?"
"Are you insane?" Jai shot back, his voice raw with anger. "We just started! We save the blessings for when we're actually about to die! We have to rely on ourselves!"
Jai paced, his thoughts spinning, then he stopped and looked at James with a sudden, dawning horror. "Did you bring any food?"
"Uh, no," James mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "I didn't think..."
Arthur's anger welled up in Jai. "You didn't think? What the hell are we supposed to eat now? We'll starve before we're out of this damn forest!"
They argued in low, furious whispers for a short time, their frustration a welcome distraction from the danger outside.
As they finally calmed, the air in the cave grew chilly. The light outside had faded from deep purple to absolute black. They were both desperately hungry.
Then, a memory flashed in Jai's mind: as they had been running, he'd glimpsed a patch of red near a small, beautiful lake.
"The baby Borren's corpse," he whispered. "I saw it. Near the lake. Something else killed it."
Cautiously, they crept out. To their immense relief, the Mother Borren was gone. When they reached the lake, the young creature's carcass was exactly where Jai remembered it. The blood hadn't yet crystallized, a sure sign that the kill was fresh.
With their magical blue crystal necklaces—storage artifacts that functioned like pocket-sized rooms—they drew their knives. Quickly and efficiently, they cut strips of meat, storing the pieces in their necklaces. They also gathered a good supply of dead wood, then scurried back to the safety of the cave.
Using the ancient, arduous method of friction—a fire-starting skill learned from the legendary Emperor Dominatrix—they coaxed a flame to life. Soon, the cave was filled with the savory smell of roasting meat.
They ate sparingly, saving the bulk of their meal. This meat, they knew, wouldn't rot for at least three days thanks to the natural magic infused within the beast's body.
As Jai chewed slowly, a cold certainty settled over him. "Someone or something else killed that baby Borren," he mused, scraping his plate clean. "That's why the mother was so angry."
He let out a deep sigh of contentment and exhaustion. He spread a piece of cloth on the damp ground. As he lay down, the day's events replayed in his mind. We nearly died fighting a single Borren. What happens when a truly stronger beast appears?
That grim thought was the last thing he remembered before falling into a deep, necessary sleep.
The first day had been a brutal lesson, a stark reminder of their weakness. But the journey was long. Not all days could be bad. They just had to wait for the good ones