The giant bear stood at the edge of the river.
Its enormous body was packed with thick muscles, while its brown fur swayed gently in the forest breeze. But the most striking thing about it was its eyes.
A brilliant golden light burned within them.
Wild Nutrient Energy surged through every part of the creature's body like a raging current with nowhere to escape.
It let out another deafening roar.
GRRRAAAHHH!!
The sound shook the towering trees.
Flocks of birds exploded from the canopy in panic.
Sinta reacted instantly.
"Formation!"
Bimo and Dika rushed to the front.
Rani and Nisa quickly pulled Arga a few steps back.
Farhan and Lila stayed behind, monitoring the creature's energy readings.
Tono had already climbed a massive tree overlooking the river.
Kai remained beside Arga, his golden eyes glowing faintly.
"Its energy is unstable," he said quietly.
"It's been exposed to the Core for far too long."
The bear took another step forward.
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
Bimo cautiously raised both hands.
"Easy there, big guy..."
"We're not looking for trouble."
The bear didn't stop.
It lowered its body.
Every muscle across its shoulders tightened.
Then—
WHOOM!
The giant beast launched itself forward.
It slammed into the ground only a few meters away.
"Now!" Sinta shouted.
Bimo darted left.
Dika sprinted right.
They split apart, forcing the beast to divide its attention.
The bear swung one massive paw.
SWOOSH!
A thick tree trunk beside Bimo exploded into splinters.
Wood fragments rained through the air.
Bimo whistled.
"Okay..."
"That would've hurt."
From above—
Tono dropped from the branches.
He landed behind the bear and struck its hind leg with all his strength.
The creature barely moved.
Instead—
it spun around with terrifying speed.
Tono barely leaped away before its claws slammed into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath the impact.
Farhan stared at his scanner.
"The energy level is still climbing!"
Lila glanced at her tablet.
"If this continues..."
"...it'll completely lose control!"
While dodging another attack, Bimo shouted,
"If anyone knows how to calm down a bear this big, now would be a really good time!"
Arga slowly opened his MBG lunchbox.
Inside, the fifteen glowing rice grains shimmered with a warm golden light.
But this time...
his hands trembled.
He could feel everyone's eyes on him.
Waiting.
Expecting him to make the right choice.
He hated that feeling.
Why was it always him?
Why did everyone look to him whenever everything started falling apart?
What if...
one day...
he made the wrong decision?
Kai glanced at him.
"You can feel it too, can't you?"
Arga nodded.
"Its energy..."
"...is connected to the Core."
Kai watched the giant bear silently.
"It's not a monster."
His voice was softer than usual.
"It's protecting its home."
Those words struck Arga deeply.
Because Kai understood what it felt like...
to be called a monster...
when all you were doing was trying to survive.
The bear charged again.
This time, straight toward Bimo.
The earth shook beneath every stride.
"Bimo! Move!" Sinta yelled.
Bimo threw himself aside just before the massive body crashed into the ground.
BOOOOM!
A cloud of dust erupted into the air.
Arga stepped forward.
Sinta immediately turned toward him.
"Arga, wait!"
But he kept walking.
"I can't solve every problem with violence."
He opened the lunchbox wider.
Warm golden light spread gently through the forest.
The tense atmosphere...
fell completely silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
The giant bear froze.
Its glowing eyes locked onto Arga.
For the first time...
Arga saw something hidden behind the rage.
Not hatred.
Pain.
The wild energy hadn't made the bear evil.
It had been tormenting it all along.
Arga spoke softly.
"We didn't come here to take anything."
He took another step.
"We came to stop those who would destroy this place."
The golden light flowed from the lunchbox toward the bear.
It wasn't forcing it.
It wasn't overpowering it.
It was simply...
calming it.
The silence stretched endlessly.
No one moved.
Sinta held her breath.
If Arga had misjudged the situation—
she would be the first to throw herself between him and the beast.
That was her duty.
To protect everyone.
Even from Arga's own decisions.
The bear let out a low growl.
But this time—
it wasn't a threat.
Its massive body slowly relaxed.
Its breathing became steady.
The golden light in its eyes gradually faded.
Farhan stared at his monitor.
"The energy is dropping..."
Lila looked up in disbelief.
"The wild resonance is stabilizing!"
Kai smiled faintly.
"It has calmed down."
Bimo exhaled in relief.
"I officially like this version a lot better."
The giant bear took one slow step toward Arga.
Everyone tensed again.
But instead of attacking...
the enormous creature lowered its head before him.
Then it turned away.
Without another sound, it disappeared into the depths of the ancient forest.
Its heavy footsteps slowly faded into silence.
Rani watched it disappear.
"It accepted us."
Kai slowly shook his head.
"Not yet."
Everyone looked at him.
"It simply chose not to fight."
Arga quietly closed the MBG lunchbox.
The fifteen glowing rice grains returned to a steady rhythm.
Yet the weight in his chest only grew heavier.
If even the guardian at the forest's edge was this powerful...
what awaited them at the heart of the ancient woods?
Sinta looked at everyone.
"From this point on, stay alert."
Her voice remained calm.
But her eyes were deadly serious.
"If that creature was only the outer guardian..."
Bimo sighed.
"...then the one inside has to be the final boss."
Dika chuckled.
"For once..."
"I actually agree with you."
The team continued following the river.
The mist grew thicker.
The forest became darker.
Even the daylight struggled to reach the ground.
Arga walked in silence.
He had just calmed the guardian of the forest.
Yet the uneasy feeling inside him refused to disappear.
Instead...
it grew stronger.
Because somewhere beyond the ancient roots...
something else was waiting.
Not an animal.
Not merely another source of energy.
Something intelligent.
Something aware.
Something that had been watching them all along.
Deep within the ancient forest...
a pair of enormous eyes slowly opened in the darkness.
Then another pair.
The earth trembled.
Ancient roots twisted beneath the soil like giant hands awakening from an endless sleep.
A voice older than history echoed from deep beneath the earth.
The true Guardian of the Third Core... had finally awakened.