Soren landed beside the massive gorilla corpse, the heavy thud of its body still vibrating faintly through the earth beneath him. He crouched low, sword in hand, scanning the fallen beast's enormous frame, letting his eyes trace the length of its limbs, the thick stripes of its fur, the jagged spikes along its arms and legs. Every detail was a lesson in survival, every curve of muscle a reminder of how quickly strength could overwhelm him if he miscalculated. He ran a cautious hand over the jagged claw embedded in the ground nearby, imagining the force it must have taken to swing with that reach. 'That thing could've torn me in half if I hadn't moved like I did. And even then…' His thoughts stuttered as a wave of adrenaline and relief collided in his chest
He exhaled quietly, whispering to himself, "I actually did it…" The words felt absurd in the humid, stagnant air of the jungle, but the relief they carried was undeniable. The weight of the battle pressed against him, not just in his sore muscles or the lingering stench of blood, but in the realization that he had just survived something enormous, something completely alien. He crouched lower, balancing carefully on a thick root, running through every action he had taken in the fight. 'I made the right call aiming for its weak points, but I got lucky this time. I need to be more careful, the same tricks won't always work'. The meticulous planning replayed in his mind, almost like rehearsal, each thought sharpened by fear and necessity
Soren's grip on his sword tightened. He glanced around the clearing, noting how quiet the jungle had become in the aftermath. No movement, no rustling, only the faint drip of blood from his palm onto the leaves. He took a cautious step closer to the gorilla's head, studying the wound he had made, examining the structure, the angle, the result
'I need to think of more spells to overcome all of my weak points in battle. If that gorilla had kept on going invisible I would have had no way to detect it and that could have easily had lead to my death.' His mind wandered to possibilities, to ways he could manipulate terrain, objects, even his own blood in ways the gorilla had forced him to discover. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth despite the tension. "Well for my first time not bad, huh? Not bad at all…"
The forest around him hummed faintly, but Soren's attention remained locked on the corpse. He crouched, sliding a hand along the spikes jutting from the gorilla's forearm, flexing slightly to understand the structure, the weight, the kind of force it could deliver. "I know that all types of monsters exist in this world but seeing it like this still feels so crazy, but why do all of them have to be so scary," he muttered under his breath, voice tense, bitter, and a little darkly amused. He crouched lower, sword resting across his lap, whispering again, almost as if trying to convince himself he was safe. "I still need to kill more of these things just one of these beasts aren't enough to afford those artifacts" His words faltered, the fear barely restrained under the surface of his voice. He glanced at the canopy, his intent magic humming faintly as he tried to sense any lingering threats, any movement that might indicate the jungle wasn't done with him yet. Then, just as he was focusing, a shadow cut across the dappled sunlight above. The hairs on his neck stood, the jungle seemed to shift in tone, and instinctively, his sword hand tightened, ready for whatever came next
Soren barely had time to register the movement before the massive shadow sliced across the canopy above him. A sickly, wet hiss followed by a roar made him spin just in time to see a giant two-headed snake descending from the sky, each head snapping and glinting with venomous teeth, wings unfurling along its elongated body. The smell of ozone and decay hit him like a punch, his stomach twisting as he instinctively raised his sword, feeling the familiar strain in his palm from the blood he had already spilled
'Of course. Of fucking course another thing shows up!' he muttered under his breath, voice harsh and clipped, a nervous edge hiding behind what sounded like a joke to anyone else. I won't die here today, 'I'll fucking kill this thing too… somehow'
He barely had a chance to act before one of the heads lunged. Soren slashed with his sword, but his movements were slower than he wanted. His body screamed from the last fight, the bruises along his ribs burned, his legs shook, and his mana reserves, already strained from the railgun blasts, were dangerously low. He tried to draw another condensed blood shot, but his body protested, screaming that he didn't have enough left for anything powerful. His hands trembled as he gripped the hilt
The snake twisted in mid-air, each head snapping independently as he tried to anticipate its attack. Soren barely blocked one strike, feeling the teeth scrape along the edge of his sword. Pain lanced through his forearm as the other head struck, raking his shoulder and sending him spinning back into a tree trunk. Wood splintered beneath his back as he hit the ground hard, vision blurring from the impact. His breathing came in sharp, ragged gasps 'Why can't anything just be simple? Why does it always have to be something like this?'
He staggered to his feet, pressing the sword against his palm, tasting the iron tang as his blood mixed with sweat. The snake coiled in mid-air, its wings flaring to adjust its position above him, each head swivelling like a predator calculating the kill. Soren ducked under a snapping strike, rolling to the side, but not fast enough, one fang grazed his thigh, slicing through muscle, sending a hot, searing pain up his leg. He gritted his teeth, forcing a strained whisper, "I… can't… keep up like this" His chest heaved. Every part of him hurt, and his mana reserves were nearly gone. He had nothing left to throw at it but skill and sheer will
Just then, movement streaked across the treetops, figures descending rapidly from above. Three men landed in the clearing with controlled precision. One's hands burned with fire, flames dancing along his fingers but not scorching him; another's arms crackled with electricity, sparks flicking across the bark of nearby trees; the third moved with eerie calm, a faint green mist curling from his body like smoke. In perfect synchronicity, they cut off the snake's advance, moving with fluid coordination that Soren barely had time to process
The fire mage launched a ball of flames toward one of the snake's heads, scorching scales and forcing it to twist mid-air. The electricity mage surged forward, arcs of lightning lancing from his fingertips to the snake's wings, disrupting its flight and causing it to skid violently sideways. The green-misted mage moved silently, vines and thorned tendrils erupting from the ground to entangle the serpent, constricting its body with terrifying strength
Soren watched, still catching his breath, observing their methods in awe and suspicion. Each attack was precise, deliberate, almost rehearsed. He wanted to sense their intent, to know if they were enemies, but his magic detected nothing. No hostility. No fear. Nothing. The thought made the hair on his neck stand on end
The snake thrashed violently, one head snapping toward Soren. He barely avoided it, parrying with his sword, but a sharp pain tore across his shoulder where a fang had grazed him. "Shit… can't keep up like this" he muttered, blood dripping down his arms
The three men pressed their advantage, coordinating flawlessly. Fire licked one head, lightning lashed the other, and vines twisted around its body, tightening with every convulsion. Soren took a deep breath, forced himself to move again, dodging as the creature attempted to redirect toward him, giving the three men a narrow opening to strike with a final, combined assault
Flames, lightning, and enchanted vines converged in a synchronized strike. The serpent's shrieks echoed through the jungle, and with a final convulsion it collapsed into the undergrowth, motionless. Silence fell immediately afterward, broken only by Soren's laboured breathing and the quiet hiss of settling foliage
One of the men, the fire mage, approached first, tossing a small flame into the air to signal the end. "You all right?" he asked, voice casual but firm, scanning Soren's cuts. The other two moved in behind him, inspecting Soren briefly but with the same unnervingly calm precision
Soren forced himself to stand straighter, still clutching his sword, eyes darting between them. "Yeah… I'm fine. Thanks," he said, wary. Something about them didn't sit right. They were too coordinated, too precise, too calm. He tried again to sense their emotions nothing. Not even a hint
Again his intent magic that he relied on heavily showed its limitations
Soren forced himself to stand straighter, still gripping his sword, eyes darting warily between the three figures. They had finished subduing the massive flying snake with uncanny coordination, yet the way they moved, the calm precision in every gesture, made Soren uneasy. He tried again to sense their emotions. Nothing. Not even a flicker. That lack of intent unnerved him more than the serpent ever could
The first to step forward was a man whose presence seemed to radiate heat even without a spell active. His short black hair was streaked with faint burn scars along his forehead and forearms, evidence of magic he'd survived—or perhaps inflicted. His eyes were sharp, calculating, and his robes were singed at the edges, stitched together where the fabric had been scorched in past battles. The man held out a hand toward Soren, his posture confident yet controlled. "Name's Draven," he said, his voice low, steady, with a faint undertone that suggested he was used to commanding situations, "rank 2 fire mage. Looks like you could've used a hand back there"
Behind him, a taller, thinner figure loomed, his lanky frame giving him an almost predatory silhouette. Long silver hair fell past his shoulders, glinting in the filtered jungle light, and his dark, angular face was framed by sharp cheekbones. Sparks danced faintly along his fingers, though he kept them tightly coiled, as if ready to lash out at a moment's notice. "I'm Korr," he said, voice quiet but piercing, "rank 1 electricity mage''
The third was smaller, compact, and moved with a sinuous grace that made him seem almost serpentine. Short green hair framed pale skin, and his black eyes were narrow and constant in their focus, like twin shards of obsidian. Faint green mist clung to his clothes, swirling lightly around his arms as if reacting to his very presence. He stepped forward last, hands unconsciously flexing, and said softly, "Thalen, rank 1 poison mage''
Soren's gaze flitted between them, noticing the subtle cues in their appearances. Draven's scorched skin and singed robes suggested he'd seen countless battles first-hand, his magic honed and violent. Korr's long silver hair and wiry body hinted at speed and agility, electricity magic that could strike before you even realized he'd moved. And Thalen, with his almost invisible aura and the faint green mist, seemed the most dangerous in silence
Draven's expression softened slightly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You've been through quite a lot out here alone," he said, the friendly tone masking an edge of calculated observation. "We're just making sure you're still standing. You fought well, however you shouldn't be alone in a place like this, come join us if you keep going alone here your bound to die''
Soren's eyes flicked to the three of them, the weight of their words pressing in
'He's right, if I keep going alone, I'll just keep getting hunted, just like before. One monster after another, my mana running out, my body barely holding together, I'd die out here for sure'
He tightened his grip on his sword, the thought of relying on anyone else twisting his gut, but reality was harsher. For now, I'll go with them. Just… survive. That's all that matters