Under the rising sun stood two figures, one watched coldly and the other shook his hand, teeth clenched in pain.
"Damn it…" Bai Da muttered under his breath, trying not to cry out. He still remembered where they were, dangerously close to a predator's resting place, no more than twenty meters away. The fact that they hadn't been discovered yet was already a stroke of luck.
Though Bai Da kept his voice low, Ling Ye still grew alert, as what if the predator had heard them?
His hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his dagger, ready to draw at any moment, but as time passed and nothing approached, and as Bai Da's pained movements began to settle, Ling Ye slowly relaxed.
Hopefully, the predator hadn't heard.
"Sigh…" He let out a quiet breath of relief before walking over to the sword and his gaze shifted to the small cut Bai Da had made on the tree and the moment he saw it, his expression turned dark.
Silently, he shook his head and reached out, pulling the sword free with ease. The "cut" was barely a cut at all and it wasn't clean, not even close.
It looked more like someone had struck the tree with raw force, leaving behind a shallow mark rather than slicing through it. The Sword had only managed to leave an impression because of its shape, not because of any sharpness.
That was at the level of this sword being completly useless.
Disappointment is evident in both Bai Da's and Ling Ye's eyes, but while Ling Ye remained composed, Bai Da's disappointment was far more obvious. After all, this journey had brought them nothing, only a few injuries and wasted time chasing a so called fated encounter.
Still, neither of them voiced their thoughts, swallowing their frustration in silence, unwilling to let themselves fall into despair or lose motivation. Their journey wasn't over yet.
Reaching their destination had been important, but returning safely is just as important. Perhaps even more so, as both of them understood this.
So they pushed their disappointment aside and focused on what mattered now is getting back to the village and with that in mind, they began their return.
They were still careful and alert, as after the incident with the sword, Ling Ye picked it up and fastened it to his right hip.
Once it was secured, he tested it and moving it slightly, checking if it is stable and whether it would interfere with his movements.
Only after confirming everything is in place did he nod to himself and without another word, the two of them began making their way down the small mountain, heading back toward the forest below.
As they finished preparing, the unique light of the sunrise slowly faded, giving way to the sun's steady daylight. With it, the surroundings became clear enough for them to see and move without difficulty.
Of course, the dangers hidden within the shadows were still present, but those were threats Bai Da could handle with ease. And in case of a more dangerous encounter, Ling Ye could support him from behind.
As long as they remained in the outskirts of the Great Forest, most problems could be managed, because of that, while they remained cautious, they were no longer as tense as they had been during the night.
Step by step, they moved forward, walking through the outer edges of the Great Forest under the light of day.
Moving carefully, Bai Da and Ling Ye kept their eyes on everything around them, the trees, the bushes and even the scattered stones along their path. Their gazes were sharp and alert.
At the slightest unusual sound, both of them would instinctively shift into a battle stance, ready to respond to any sudden attack from hidden animals, but after surviving more than a day in the Great Forest, Ling Ye began to notice something strange.
Though he had only been here for a short time, the past day had been eventful enough for him to pick up on certain details. The first thing he noticed was that most of the animals they encountered were alone.
So far, they hadn't run into a single pack, not even a group of wolves and that alone was unusual, especially considering they had already fought and killed a lone predator wolf, but that wasn't all.
What stood out to Ling Ye even more was the lack of powerful predators and from the books he had read back in the village, he knew that predators were highly territorial. Each one should control its own area, and clashes between them should be common.
Yet here, they had only encountered two predators and that didn't make sense for him.
For a place like the outskirts of the Great Forest, there should have been far more activity, more signs of dominance, more conflicts between strong predator.
Instead, the area felt strangely quiet, almost too quiet and aside from occasional fights between smaller animals, there was little to no sign of true danger and that is what unsettled Ling Ye the most.
Now that Ling Ye thought about it more carefully, the situation became far more unsettling, as there were only a few possible explanations for that.
The first was that a powerful predator was slowly evolving into a beast, but the more he considered it, the less likely it seemed. Even a predator on the verge of evolution would still be constantly fighting, struggling for dominance.
It wouldn't be able to control such a large territory so quietly and how could a single creature suppress everything in this area?
Though possible, Ling Ye found it unlikely, the second possibility is a beast had already been born here and it is here living.
This explanation felt far more realistic for him, but at this thought Ling Ye's expression darkened, as if that is true then what about the dark figure they had seen on the small mountain? The moment that thought resurfaced, a chill ran down his spine and stopped walking.
Cold sweat began to form on his forehead and beside him, Bai Da noticed the sudden halt and looked back in confusion, instinctively scanning the surroundings for danger, but there is nothing.
Only Ling Ye, standing still. His body tensed, his thoughts spiraling as the implications of his guess settled in. For a brief moment, fear took hold of him.
Then, he bit his lip, forcing himself to calm down. Shaking his head, he raised a hand and rubbed his temples, trying to push those thoughts aside.
"Too much… this is just too much…" Ling Ye muttered under his breath.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to leave this cursed forest, this place filled with hidden dangers and unseen horrors. The only thing he felt grateful for is their luck… that somehow, they had survived an encounter with what might have been a resting beast.
"It's nothing," Ling Ye said after a moment, glancing at Bai Da. "I was just overthinking."
His tone was calm, meant to reassure him, that there was no immediate danger and no predator lurking nearby.
"Let's go," he added quietly. "I want to leave this forest as soon as possible."
Bai Da looked at him, still a little confused, but by now, he was used to not fully understanding Ling Ye's thoughts and so he simply nodded and followed along.