From the dark night, the crackle of the campfire was the only sound that dared to disturb the oppressive silence of the enchanted wilderness. Deep in the heart of the dark night, the orange flames danced, casting long, flickering shadows against the gnarled roots of the surrounding trees.
Ria, Sinata, and Kael sat huddled near the warmth, their shoulders slumped in a heavy, visible state of depression. The earlier battle had stripped away their Academy-born confidence, leaving behind the raw, cold realization of their own vulnerability. I sat on a weathered log, poking at the embers with a stick to coax the fire into a brighter blaze. Nearby, Kageno lay perched on a separate log, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes closed as he attempted to reclaim some of the energy he'd used up.
I glanced at Ria. Since she had regained consciousness, she hadn't said anything much beyond a quiet thank you. I understood the weight on her heart. The sting of being used as a shield by a monster. I smiled faintly and pulled some supplies from the spatial pocket artifact I had borrowed from Kageno's pack earlier.
"Here. Help yourselves and muster some strength," I said, tossing them bottles of water and some high-calorie ration burgers. "Stop feeling so depressed. We still have a long road ahead of us, and you can't walk it on an empty stomach."
Ria caught a burger but didn't open it immediately. She looked up, her eyes reflecting the firelight. "You know... Oliver... we are really sorry for holding you guys back. I know I was weak, but I promise... I won't hold you back any longer."
"Ria..." I said softly, my voice steady. "Don't beat yourself up. It wasn't any of your faults. None of us were truly prepared for a disaster-class threat on our first real mission. Although I felt it was way more tougher than the one we faced during the exam entrance. We dropped our guard because we didn't know the rules of this place yet. But look at it this way, you all stood your ground and displayed beautiful teamwork until the very moment the demon cheated. This is how experience is bought with scars. Next time, we'll be the ones holding the leash."
My words seemed to spark a flicker of hope in their hearts. Kael looked at me with a sudden, intense amazement, his posture straightening.
"What? Don't stare at me like that. I'm being serious," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
"No... I really felt those words, Oliver," Kael replied, his voice earnest. "It hooked my core. I needed to hear that."
"Thanks for the encouragement, Oliver," Sinata and Ria added in unison, the gloom finally beginning to lift from their faces.
"Haha, no problem, guys. By the way, thanks Sinata," I said, checking the neat, professional bandaging on my shoulder. "The way you nurtured and wrapped this wound... it actually has a nice healing effect. I feel much better already."
Sinata's face instantly flushed a deep crimson, and she looked down at her lap, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. Ria caught the blush and leaned over, whispering a teasing "Ohhh" into Sinata's ear, which only made the girl turn redder.
"For Christ's sake, let me have some sleep, Oliver!" Kageno's voice barked from the shadows. He had a fresh bandage wrapped around his forehead where the demon had struck him. "You guys are making enough noise to wake the dead literally."
"Ok, ok, ok," I said, raising my hands in a calm down gesture. "But before we turn in, safety first. Ria, and Kael, front and center."
I stood up and outlined the plan. "Help form a metal tent camp. I want individual shells for each of us, reinforced with mineral density, but leave small ventilation holes for air. And stay alert even in your sleep, keep a thread of mana connected to the steel. If a monster capable of manipulating metal comes by, I want you to feel it the second they touch your walls." Kageno sat upright, his interest piqued by the tactical logic. "So, when does the plan commence?"
"Any moment from now," I replied.
Ria and Kael went to work. With a synchronized display of their metal manipulation, the earth groaned as minerals were pulled to the surface, forming sleek, vertical metal tents. They designed them with an auto-locking mechanism that functioned in a smooth up-and-down motion. Once the camp was set, I passed out blankets. I returned Sinata's katana to her. She took it with a grateful smile and a nod. One by one, they retreated into their metallic cocoons, drifting into a well-deserved, heavy sleep.
I entered mine, but my mind wouldn't go completely dark. Mid-way through the night, my internal threat-dar pinged. I instinctively slipped out of my tent and found a figure sitting on a nearby ridge, gazing silently at the starlit sky.
"Couldn't sleep, Kageno?" I asked, walking up to him.
"I did. I just woke up the same way you did," he replied, his voice uncharacteristically genuine. He didn't turn to look at me. "Oliver... do you have any doubts? About whether we'll make it out of this mission alive?"
"No. I have no doubts," I replied firmly.
"What makes you so sure?" he asked, his tone skeptical. "Who's to say that tree demon wasn't just the appetizer? What if there are threats waiting for us that make that thing look like a sapling?"
I stared at him, then at the horizon. "Then I will simply face them. No matter the strength, no matter the size. If it proves to be a challenge I can't overcome today, I'll retreat, learn, and come back tomorrow. Doubt is just energy wasted on a future that hasn't happened yet. Question answered?"
Kageno didn't reply, but I saw his jaw tighten slightly. My gaze lingered on the ancient, spiral-like tattoos that wound around his arms and disappeared under his skin toward his chest and back. Without his jacket or shirt, the markings seemed to pulse with a faint, dark mana.
"Kageno? I've been curious... those tattoos. Where did they come from?"
He finally turned, staring at me with a look that was both weary and guarded. He stood up without a word and walked toward his metal tent. Just as the door began to slide shut, he spoke.
"I'm sorry. It's nothing for you to know about."
The door hissed shut. I sighed, looking at the stars one last time before heading back to my own rest.
-----
The morning didn't break with a sun but it broke with a surge of energy. We all woke up feeling revitalized, our mana pools replenished by the dense atmospheric energy of the woods. After a quick meal, we checked our gear and began the final sprint toward the Misty Valley.
The transition was jarring. As we crossed the threshold of the valley, the dark, suffocating forest we had been traveling through simply vanished. It was as if we had stepped through a curtain. The mist cleared instantly, revealing a sky so clear it looked like polished glass. The climate was perfect warm, breezy, and smelling of fresh rain.
Nearby, a crystal-clear river meandered through the valley, the water sparkling with an almost magical blue hue. It looked tempting, a paradise hidden within a hellscape.
"Water!" Ria cried out, her joy getting the better of her. She began to rush toward the bank, but a gloved hand clamped down on her shoulder, stopping her dead in her tracks.
"Be careful woman." Kageno's cold, gaze met hers. He didn't say a word, but the icy vibe he radiated was enough to make her naturally lose interest in the river and him instantly.
"Don't be a fool," Kageno muttered. "Nothing in this place is nice without a catch."
As if on cue, the air in the center of the valley began to tear. A massive, jagged purple portal flared into existence, ionizing the air and turning the beautiful grass to ash.
From the depths of the void, the first one emerged.
It was a giant. A dark grey predator, standing twelve feet tall, its body covered in thick, bony protrusions that acted like natural armor. Bony spikes jutted from its chest, knees, and even its feet. Its horns were twisted, jagged obsidian. Then another came. And another.
They kept pouring out, their numbers increasing until the portal finally flickered and died, leaving a small army of these giant demons standing before us. They looked similar to the demon I had killed when I first helped Sinata, but these were different. They were taller, their eyes burned with a more focused aggression, and their hides looked as tough as reinforced Lignin.
The peaceful valley was gone, replaced by a battlefield giant demon armies.
I cracked my knuckles and I looked back at my team—Ria, Kael, Sinata, and even the stoic Kageno.
"Alright, buckle up, guys," I said, a predatory smile tugging at my lips. "Prepared for this one?"