We marched in groups, following the Freedom team's lead.
Our formation was tight — Hyun Woo stayed in the center while Marco, Minji, and I guarded him.
He was our healer, our lifeline.
If anything happened to him, we were done.
Even the others from the Freedom and Crow groups understood that — Hyun Woo was the top priority.
The forest grew darker the further north we went.
Roars echoed in the distance.
We saw a Level 25 Bear, a Level 20 Tiger, and other monsters lurking in the shadows.
Each step was dangerous.
After hours of walking, Samuel raised his hand. "We're close."
That's when I noticed something strange — I could track the monsters' movements clearly, like my instincts were sharper than before.
It felt like something inside me was awakening.
We kept moving until the moon was high.
After walking nearly 55 kilometers, we finally reached a rocky valley surrounded by huge trees.
"This is it," Samuel said. "The Ogre's nest. We rest tonight. At sunrise, we attack."
He placed guards around the area while everyone else set up camp.
The tension in the air was heavy — we could all feel it.
While the others slept, I opened my system.
Level 30.
Finally.
The Skill Draw icon was glowing again.
I tapped it.
A surge of heat ran through my body — it hurt, but not as bad as before.
My muscles burned like fire, and for a second, I saw flashes of soldiers training, swinging swords until their hands bled.
Then the pain stopped.
A new message appeared before my eyes:
> [New Skill Acquired]
Skill Name: Crimson Blade (A-Rank)
Type: Warrior Skill
Description: Temporarily channels inner energy into the weapon, increasing attack power by 80% for 30 seconds. Attacks during this state cause bleeding damage to enemies.
Cooldown: 2 minutes
I stared at my sword, then clenched my fist.
The metal gave off a faint red glow.
Now that's a real warrior skill.
Tomorrow, the Ogre would fall — or I would.
Either way, I was ready.