They left early the next morning.
The forest was quieter than the day before, as if it were holding its breath. Mist clung low to the ground, curling around roots and stones before thinning as the sun climbed higher. Their footsteps were steady, careful, following the north-western path Clara had chosen.
As they walked, the forest revealed itself in layers.
Tall, slate-barked trees rose like pillars, their canopies interlocking high above. Beneath them grew clusters of Silverveil Grass, thin blades that shimmered faintly when touched by light. Creeping along fallen logs were Ashmoss Blooms, dark and velvety, releasing a faint earthy scent when crushed.
Small life darted everywhere.
A pair of Twintail Squirrels leapt from branch to branch, chattering softly before vanishing. Near a patch of damp ground, a Glasswing Lizard scurried away, its translucent scales bending the light around it.
Despite the beauty, no one relaxed.
Then the trees thinned.
Ahead of them, the forest opened into a natural clearing—and at its center lay a lake.
It was unlike anything Garry had ever seen.
The water shimmered in hues of blue and green, as if the sky itself had melted into the earth. Sunlight danced across its surface, rippling gently with the breeze. Smooth stones lined its edges, pale and clean, and reeds swayed softly along the shore. The air here felt cooler, calmer, carrying the faint scent of fresh water.
For a moment, the forest felt peaceful.
Dary slowed. "Do you know this lake?" she asked, glancing at Clara.
Clara shook her head. "No. This is my first time on this side of the forest."
Garry found himself staring at the lake's reflection—trees bending into the water, sky fractured into wavering pieces. It felt untouched. Almost sacred.
They didn't stop for long.
Clara urged them onward, and the lake soon disappeared behind thick foliage.
A few hours later—
The ground trembled.
At first it was subtle, barely more than a vibration beneath their boots. Then it grew stronger, rhythmic, like distant thunder traveling through soil.
Everyone froze.
Ahead, between the trees, shapes began to emerge.
Large.
Broad-shouldered.
Moving in a loose formation.
"There," Acarme said quietly.
A small herd of monsters advanced—around fifteen of them.
They stood nearly seven feet tall, thick-muscled bodies covered in rough brown hide. A single blunt horn jutted from each forehead, and three eyes glowed faintly beneath heavy brows.
"Tighorns," Acarme said. "Low-level monsters."
Garry's pulse spiked.
But when he glanced at Clara, at Acarme, at Carkhat—none of them looked alarmed.
"They're manageable," Acarme continued. "With your current strength, you can handle them."
He paused. "But don't underestimate them. Tighorns are smarter than they look."
"Understood," Garry replied, drawing his sword.
Clara stepped back and sat on a nearby rock.
"I'll observe," she said calmly. "Don't take too long."
Carkhat cracked his neck. "Acarme, left side."
They moved together.
"Cael," Dary said, already shifting right. "With me."
Garry took a breath.
Then charged straight ahead.
As he ran, he extended his left hand toward the ground and dragged his finger sharply forward.
The earth answered.
A thick pillar of stone erupted beneath the Tighorns, slamming into one of them and throwing the formation into chaos. Several monsters stumbled, roaring in confusion.
Garry slid low across the dirt, blade flashing as he swung at a Tighorn's leg.
Clang.
The blade bit deep—but not enough.
"Tsk," Garry clicked his tongue.
He rolled to his feet and rushed forward again, punching another monster square in the chest. The ground shifted beneath his feet, pulling him sideways just as a heavy fist crashed down where he'd been standing.
He slashed upward, severing a Tighorn's arm at the elbow.
The monster howled, swinging wildly.
Garry ducked, leapt back—and felt something move behind him.
Instinct took over.
A wall of rock surged upward just as a massive punch slammed into it, cracking stone but stopping short.
"Attacking from behind?" Garry muttered. "Clever."
He raised his hand.
Stone spikes burst from the ground beneath three Tighorns, piercing through their feet and pinning them in place. They roared, thrashing violently despite the pain.
Garry stood atop a raised stone slab, breathing hard.
Something about this felt… wrong.
The monsters didn't retreat.
They didn't hesitate.
Even wounded, they pressed forward with reckless aggression.
Garry shook the thought away and raised his sword again.
The fight was far from over.
Garry exhaled slowly, steadying his breathing.
The Tighorns didn't slow.
Even with stone spikes piercing their feet and blood darkening the soil, they lunged forward with raw force, their three eyes fixed on him with a frightening focus. One ripped free from the earth with a wet crack, tearing flesh as it charged again.
They should've backed off, Garry thought.
He met the first head-on.
The monster swung wide. Garry stepped inside the arc, grit spraying beneath his boots as he twisted his body and drove his blade upward beneath its ribs. The sword met resistance—thick muscle, dense bone—but momentum carried it through.
The Tighorn shuddered once, then collapsed.
Garry didn't pause.
Another came from the side, horn lowered. He slammed his palm into the ground, forcing a ridge of stone to rise abruptly. The monster stumbled, its balance broken just long enough.
Garry leapt.
The blade came down in a clean, decisive strike at the base of the neck.
The second Tighorn fell.
Two down.
His chest burned as he landed—the steady drain of mana, heavier than during any academy duel.
Around him, the remaining monsters roared and closed in.
___
To the right, the fight unfolded differently.
Dary raised her wooden staff as she drew moisture from the air. Thin streams of water gathered rapidly, twisting together into a dense coil that snapped forward and wrapped around a Tighorn's head and chest.
The creature thrashed, clawing at the water binding it.
Cael moved immediately.
She didn't hurl flames wildly. Instead, she concentrated heat into a narrow line, superheating the air around the monster's joints. The sudden temperature shift weakened its movements, steam erupting violently as Dary tightened her grip.
The Tighorn collapsed, suffocated and burned from within.
"One," Cael said, breathing hard.
Another charged them from the side.
Dary reacted a second too slow.The monster's shoulder slammed into her, sending her skidding across the ground.
"Dary!" Cael shouted.
She stepped forward, forcing fire into her palms, forming a short arc of flame that scorched the Tighorn's face and drove it back. Dary pushed herself up, teeth clenched, and sent a concentrated burst of water straight into the creature's open mouth.
The Tighorn staggered, choking.
Cael finished it with a controlled blast to the chest.
Two.
A third Tighorn lunged, swinging wildly. Cael deflected its strike with a wall of flame.
Dary gathered water, forcing it into a sharp, pressurized stream that pierced through the creature's throat.
It fell with a heavy thud.
Three.