The forest became silent again.
But this silence was worse.
Because now—
everyone could feel it.
Something was watching them from inside the mist.
Not one thing.
Many.
Dozens of glowing eyes slowly opened between the trees, staring directly at Daniel and Mary.
Neither of them moved.
The evolved ghost stood in front of them, dark energy flowing around its cracked body like smoke. Its twisted smile widened as if it already knew the outcome of the fight.
Mary quietly tightened her grip on her weapon.
"…We're surrounded."
Daniel exhaled slowly.
"Yeah. I noticed."
Even though he joked, Mary could tell he was tense.
Not because of the ghosts.
Because of Thrones
Inside Daniel's mind, Thrones spoke again.
"Do not lose focus."
Daniel mentally answered immediately.
"I'm trying."
"No. You are hesitating."
Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly.
The ghost in front of him suddenly disappeared—
—and reappeared directly beside him.
Fast.
Too fast.
Daniel barely blocked the attack in time.
The impact pushed him backward across the ground.
Mary instantly attacked from the side, forcing the ghost away before it could strike again.
"Daniel!"
"I'm fine!"
But he wasn't fully fine.
His breathing was getting heavier.
And Thrones knew it.
"Your emotions are unstable."
Daniel clenched his jaw.
"Then stop talking inside my head for one second."
Surprisingly—
Thrones laughed quietly.
Without warning—
the glowing eyes inside the mist rushed forward all at once.
Ghosts emerged from every direction.
Some crawled across the ground unnaturally.
Some moved through the trees.
Others simply appeared out of the fog itself.
Mary reacted immediately.
"Move!"
She pulled Daniel aside just as claws tore through the place where he had been standing.
The battle exploded instantly.
Mary quickly noticed something important.
The evolved ghost wasn't attacking directly anymore.
It was commanding the others.
Controlling them.
Her eyes sharpened.
So that's the leader.
Instead of wasting energy on weaker ghosts, Mary began focusing on creating openings.
"Daniel!" she shouted while blocking another attack. "The main ghost is controlling the others!"
Daniel destroyed one ghost with a strong strike and looked toward the evolved one.
"If we kill it—"
"The others might stop moving!"
Daniel nodded immediately.
Now they had a target.
Elsewhere in the forest—
Felix and Lucy had also noticed the strange change.
The ghosts around them suddenly became more aggressive.
Lucy jumped back after barely dodging an attack.
"They got stronger again!"
Felix destroyed another shadow ghost before answering.
"Yeah… and I'm starting to hate this forest."
Another ghost lunged toward Lucy—
Felix stepped in instantly and blocked it.
Lucy stared at him for half a second.
"You keep saving me."
Felix smirked while fighting.
"And you keep getting attacked."
"That's not true."
"You almost died three times."
"Two."
Felix laughed.
Even during chaos, the strange comfort between them remained.
But then—
Both of them suddenly felt it.
A massive energy wave passed through the forest.
Felix's expression changed instantly.
"…Daniel."
Lucy looked toward the deeper mist.
Something bad was happening.
The evolved ghost raised its arm slowly.
Dark energy gathered around it.
Then suddenly—
Sharp black spikes burst from the ground everywhere.
Mary and Daniel separated instantly to avoid them.
The forest itself was becoming part of the battle.
Daniel looked around carefully.
This thing is adapting…
The ghost smiled again.
"You cannot win."
Its voice sounded distorted, almost broken.
"You were sent here… to die."
Daniel stepped forward despite the pressure.
"Then we'll disappoint you."
The ghost's smile disappeared.
And suddenly—
it rushed toward Mary instead.
Fast enough that even Daniel reacted late.
"MARY!"
Mary barely blocked the attack, but the force threw her backward into a tree.
Daniel's eyes widened.
For a second—
anger exploded inside him.
And Thrones immediately noticed.
"Careful…"
Dark energy flickered around Daniel's arm.
Small.
Unstable.
But visible.
Mary looked up immediately.
"Daniel, stop!"
Daniel froze.
His breathing became uneven again.
The dark energy disappeared slowly.
But the evolved ghost had already seen it.
Its smile returned.
"Oh…"
It whispered.
"So the darkness inside you is real."
Mary stood up slowly, ignoring the pain.
Now she understood.
The ghost wasn't only fighting them.
It was trying to push Daniel emotionally.
Trying to force Thrones' power out.
Her expression became serious.
It knows something.
Mary immediately moved beside Daniel again.
"Don't listen to it."
Daniel stayed silent.
The ghost laughed softly.
"You fear your own power."
Daniel's grip tightened.
"And you talk too much."
This time—
Mary made the plan.
"Daniel," she whispered quickly, "I'll distract it. You attack from behind."
Daniel looked at her for a second.
"…You sure?"
Mary smirked slightly.
"When have I ever not been sure?"
Before Daniel could answer—
Mary charged forward.
Fast.
Much faster than before.
The evolved ghost attacked her immediately, but this time Mary wasn't trying to overpower it.
She was controlling its movement.
Leading it.
Step by step.
Exactly where she wanted.
Daniel understood instantly.
She's creating an opening.
The ghost raised its claws toward Mary—
And at that exact moment—
Daniel moved.
Using full speed, he appeared behind the ghost and attacked with everything he had.
The strike landed directly on its core.
For the first time—
the evolved ghost screamed.
Dark cracks spread across its body instantly.
Mary jumped back beside Daniel as the ghost staggered.
"It worked!" Daniel said.
But Mary's expression didn't change.
"…No."
The cracks stopped spreading.
The ghost slowly lifted its head again.
And smiled.
Then—
its body began regenerating.
Again.
Daniel stared in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me."
But Thrones suddenly spoke.
And this time—
his voice sounded genuinely concerned.
"Daniel…"
"What now?"
A pause.
Then—
"That thing is not a ghost anymore."
Daniel's eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
The evolved creature slowly stood fully upright.
Its energy changed again.
Becoming darker.
Heavier.
More unstable.
And then—
Behind it—
more shadows began emerging from the mist.
Not ten.
Not twenty.
Hundreds.
Mary slowly stepped backward.
"…Daniel."
Daniel stared at the endless glowing eyes appearing in the darkness.
And for the first time since entering the exam—
even he looked shaken.
Far away from the battlefield—
hidden deep within the forest—
the mysterious shadow figure smiled while watching everything.
"Good…"
he whispered softly.
"Break him slowly."
His glowing eyes narrowed.
"Only then… Thrones will fully awaken."
Back in the forest—
the army of shadows began moving forward together.
And Daniel realized something terrifying.
This battle—
was never meant to be survived.