The town gates faded behind them as they stepped once more into the open wild, the faint shimmer of the barrier dissolving into the distance. The air outside felt heavier again—raw, untamed, filled with the quiet tension of something that never truly rested. Kael stretched his arms as he walked, glancing toward the distant tree line with a familiar grin.
"…Let's go back," he said. "…That forest. I wanna see what's left."
Arin didn't hesitate.
"…Alright."
There was no need for further discussion.
They moved east.
The path was familiar now—the terrain, the broken stone, the gradual shift as the land transitioned from open wasteland into the dense, shadow-filled forest. But something felt different this time. Not dangerous.
Empty.
As they stepped beneath the twisted canopy, the silence became more noticeable. No distant growls. No movement in the underbrush. Even the wind felt quieter, as if something had erased the natural rhythm of the place.
Then—
They saw it.
The crater.
What had once been a goblin camp was now unrecognizable. The land had collapsed inward, forming a massive hollow in the earth. At its center lay a still body of water—dark, red-tinted, reflecting the dim light filtering through the trees.
Kael stopped at the edge, staring down.
"…Yeah… we definitely overdid it."
Arin said nothing.
His gaze moved across the destruction, not with pride—but with quiet evaluation.
It had worked.
Better than expected.
Kael scratched the back of his head, then suddenly frowned. "…Wait."
Arin glanced at him.
Kael pointed down toward the lake. "…All the loot… it's under that."
A pause.
"…That's a lot of wasted shards."
Arin's eyes shifted back to the water.
Then—
Something clicked.
"…Not necessarily."
Kael blinked. "…Don't tell me—"
Arin stepped forward.
"…Stay back."
Without another word, he focused.
The new ability responded instantly.
A subtle distortion formed in front of him—not violent, not unstable like the portal—but controlled. Precise. A silent opening into something deeper.
Subspace.
The air around the lake shifted.
Then—
The water moved.
At first, it was slow.
A ripple.
Then—
A pull.
The surface collapsed inward as the water began to surge toward the opening, drawn in by an invisible force. The entire lake trembled, then started draining rapidly, spiraling into the distortion with a low, continuous roar.
Kael's eyes widened. "…No way…"
The speed increased.
Water vanished in waves, the level dropping faster and faster until the muddy bottom began to reveal itself. The red tint faded as the last remnants were pulled away, leaving behind nothing but wet earth and silence.
Within minutes—
The lake was gone.
Only the crater remained.
Kael stared at it, then at Arin. "…Okay… yeah. That's broken."
Arin closed the subspace calmly, as if nothing extraordinary had happened.
"…It's efficient."
They descended into the crater.
The ground was uneven, soaked, and littered with remnants of destruction—but what stood out immediately were the crystals.
Soul shards.
Everywhere.
Scattered across the ground like dark fragments of glass, faintly gleaming in the dim light. Hundreds of them.
More.
Kael let out a low whistle. "…Jackpot."
Arin didn't waste time.
He opened the subspace again—this time with more control—and began pulling the shards in. One by one, then in clusters, then entire patches lifted from the ground and vanished into storage.
No weight.
No limit—yet.
Within moments, the scattered field was cleared.
Everything collected.
They moved deeper.
Toward the center.
That was where the strongest had fallen.
The ground there was more damaged, cracked under the force of the impact. And in the middle of it—
A body.
Larger than the others.
Even in death, it was clear.
A hobgoblin.
Kael stepped closer, crouching slightly as his gaze landed on something beside it.
"…What's this?"
He reached down and picked it up.
A red stone.
Small. Smooth. Faintly warm.
Unfamiliar.
Kael turned it in his hand. "…Doesn't look like a shard."
Arin observed it briefly, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"…Keep it."
No assumptions.
No risks.
Kael nodded and tossed it lightly toward him. Arin opened the subspace again, storing it without a second thought.
Everything of value—
Secured.
A brief silence settled over the crater as they stood there, surrounded by the aftermath of their own destruction.
Kael exhaled slowly. "…So… what now?"
Arin turned, already looking toward the deeper forest.
"…We continue."
Kael smirked.
"…More goblins?"
Arin nodded.
"…More experience."
A pause.
"…Then bigger targets."
That was enough.
They climbed out of the crater, leaving behind nothing but empty ground and the memory of what had once stood there.
The stillness shattered without warning. A sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by the brutal impact of steel biting into flesh. The arrow struck Arin's shoulder with precise, merciless force, driving him half a step back before he steadied himself. Pain flared instantly, hot and consuming, but his expression did not change—only his breathing tightened slightly, controlled, contained.
Kael's reaction was very different.
"…What the hell—?!"
His voice snapped, sharp and furious as his head whipped toward the ridge above the crater. His eyes locked onto the figures standing there—three of them, human silhouettes outlined against the dim light, still and deliberate, like predators that had already chosen their prey.
Another arrow was already in motion.
The bowstring released with a faint, deadly hum.
"Move!"
This time there was no hesitation. Both of them reacted instantly, their bodies shifting in perfect sync as the arrow tore through the space they had occupied a heartbeat earlier. It slammed into the ground behind them with a dull thud, vibrating with the force of the shot.
Kael's jaw tightened, anger rising fast, raw and immediate. "…They're shooting to kill."
Arin didn't answer. He didn't need to.
It was obvious.
There had been no warning, no attempt to speak—only a clean, calculated attempt to eliminate them.
Another arrow came, faster this time, cutting through the air toward Kael's side. He twisted sharply, barely avoiding it, the projectile grazing past him close enough to feel.
That was enough.
Something in him snapped.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The anger settled—not chaotic, not reckless—but focused. Cold.
He looked up again, eyes burning now. "…Three of them. Hiding up there like cowards and taking shots?"
The bowstring pulled back again.
Arin's voice cut through his rising fury, calm but sharp. "…Forest."
Kael clenched his teeth.
He wanted to charge.
To rush up that cliff and tear them apart.
But he wasn't stupid.
"…Fine," he muttered, voice tight with restraint.
They ran.
The open crater offered nothing—no cover, no protection, just exposure. Another arrow followed them, missing by inches as they crossed the edge and plunged into the forest, where the dense trees finally broke the attackers' line of sight.
An arrow struck a trunk behind them with a heavy crack.
Then silence.
For a moment, only their footsteps filled the space as they pushed deeper into the trees, putting distance between themselves and the cliff. Kael exhaled sharply, but the anger hadn't faded. If anything, it had sharpened.
"…They think they can just ambush us and walk away?" he said under his breath, voice low and dangerous. "…Nah. Not happening."
Arin slowed slightly, one hand moving to the arrow still lodged in his shoulder. Blood had begun to seep through his clothes, but his movements remained steady as he assessed the injury with quiet precision.
"…Can you fight?" Kael asked, still scanning their surroundings, still tense.
Arin didn't hesitate. "…Yes."
That was enough.
Kael nodded once, tightening his grip. The forest around them had grown unnaturally quiet again, the absence of goblins now replaced by something else.
Presence.
A faint sound broke through the silence.
Footsteps.
Distant.
Measured.
Following.
Kael's lips curled slightly, not in humor—but in anticipation. "…Good," he muttered. "…Come closer."
Arin stopped.
Turned.
The shift in him was subtle—but absolute. The calm calculation returned, colder now, sharper, his gaze cutting through the shadows between the trees.
"…They left the high ground," he said quietly.
Kael's anger steadied, reshaping itself into something more controlled. More dangerous.
"…Yeah," he replied, voice low. "…Now they're on our level."
Arin's eyes moved, tracking, calculating distances, angles, movement.
"…No," he corrected calmly.
A brief pause.
"…Now they're in our territory."
Kael let out a slow breath, the last of the initial rage settling into focus. A grin spread across his face—not wild, not reckless—but deliberate.
"…Good," he said.
This time, there was no hesitation left.
No panic.
Only intent.
The hunters had made their move.
And now—
They had stepped into the wrong ground.