The mist above the river grew even thicker.
The giant serpent remained coiled around them like a living wall. Its dark scales shimmered with faint golden light beneath the drifting fog.
Its glowing eyes never left Arga.
As if it knew exactly who carried the Guardian's power.
Sinta quickly scanned their surroundings.
They were trapped between the serpent's massive body and the raging river behind them.
"We can't stay here," she said firmly.
Farhan glanced at the readings on his laptop.
"Its energy is still increasing."
Lila checked her tablet.
"And if we stay here much longer..."
"...something else might be drawn to this place."
Bimo blinked.
"Something else?"
Dika sighed.
"I'm starting to think every new chapter comes with a stronger boss."
Even with the joke, no one laughed.
The serpent tightened its coils.
The ground shook beneath their feet.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"It's forcing us toward the river."
Rani stared at the rushing current below.
"If we fall in, the current will carry us away."
Arga slowly opened his MBG lunchbox.
The fifteen glowing rice grains shone brighter than ever.
But instead of looking at the serpent, his gaze drifted toward the river.
The water shimmered strangely beneath the mist.
Then—
a forgotten memory surfaced.
He was only a child.
He had fallen into a small river near his home.
The current hadn't been strong.
But panic had pulled him under.
He still remembered the terror...
the desperate struggle to breathe...
until his mother had pulled him back to the surface.
Soaked from head to toe, she had held him tightly and whispered,
"When you're afraid... don't stand still."
"Find another path."
The memory hit him with unexpected force.
He looked at the roaring river before him.
Much wider.
Much wilder.
Yet for the first time since entering the Ancient Forest...
he didn't simply feel chosen.
He felt ready.
Arga lifted his head.
"We don't have to fight it."
Bimo stared at him.
"...Then what?"
Arga pointed toward the river.
"We cross."
Silence fell.
Bimo looked at the river.
Then at the serpent.
Then back at the river again.
"You want us to swim while that thing is trying to eat us?"
Arga shook his head.
"Not swim."
Kai looked at the lunchbox in Arga's hands.
Understanding flashed across his face.
"...A path."
Arga stepped to the riverbank and raised the lunchbox.
Golden light poured from the fifteen rice grains onto the water.
For a few seconds...
nothing happened.
Then the river trembled.
Golden lines spread across the surface, weaving together until they formed a glowing pathway stretching across the rushing current.
A bridge made entirely of living energy.
Bimo's eyes widened.
"I swear..."
"I'm never getting used to this."
Farhan stared at his monitor.
"The Nutritional Energy is stabilizing the surface of the river!"
Lila whispered in amazement.
"An energy bridge..."
Before anyone could move, the giant serpent lifted its head.
Its golden eyes blazed.
SSSSSSSHHHH!!
It shot toward Arga like a black spear.
"Move!" Sinta shouted.
Bimo and Dika rushed forward without hesitation, drawing the serpent's attention away from Arga.
Bimo waved both arms.
"Hey, oversized noodle!"
"Look over here!"
To everyone's surprise...
the serpent actually turned toward him.
Even Dika couldn't hide a grin.
"I can't believe that actually worked."
The opening lasted only a moment.
It was enough.
"Across the bridge! Now!" Sinta ordered.
Rani helped Lila onto the glowing path.
Farhan nearly dropped his laptop as he ran.
Tono leaped from a tree branch and landed lightly on the bridge.
Nisa and Andra guarded the rear.
One by one, they sprinted across the river.
The glowing path shimmered beneath their feet like solid light.
Halfway across, Kai suddenly stopped.
"...Wait."
His voice had turned tense.
"Something's wrong."
Farhan looked at his screen.
His face instantly turned pale.
"No..."
"That's impossible..."
Lila grabbed the tablet from his hands.
Beneath the glowing bridge...
another enormous energy signature was moving.
It wasn't the current.
It wasn't a fish.
Something gigantic was following them from the bottom of the river.
Without warning—
WHOOOOOOM!!
The river exploded.
Water burst into the air as a colossal creature emerged from the depths.
It was even larger than the serpent.
Its body resembled a fusion of an ancient crocodile and a dragon.
Its back was covered in stone-like armor wrapped with enormous roots.
Its golden eyes burned like twin suns.
Bimo nearly screamed.
"Seriously?!"
"There's a second boss?!"
The bridge shook violently.
Arga almost lost his footing before Sinta grabbed his arm.
"Stay focused!"
The ancient creature ignored the team completely.
Instead...
it fixed its gaze on the giant serpent.
To everyone's shock...
the terrifying serpent slowly lowered its head.
Silence swept through the forest.
Kai whispered,
"...The serpent isn't the Guardian."
"It's only the gatekeeper."
The ancient beast slowly opened its jaws.
Its roar shook the river, the trees, and even the sky above.
Birds exploded from the canopy in frightened flocks.
The vibration echoed deep inside Arga's chest.
Then the familiar voice returned.
Soft.
Ancient.
Gentle.
"Come."
It wasn't a warning.
It was a summons.
At last, they reached the opposite bank.
Arga lowered the lunchbox.
The bridge of light slowly dissolved back into the river.
Dark water reclaimed its surface.
Behind them, the giant serpent remained bowed before the ancient guardian, which gradually disappeared beneath the river once more.
As though it had surfaced for only one reason—
to decide whether they were worthy to pass.
Bimo collapsed onto the ground, clutching his chest.
"If anyone ever tells me adventures are fun..."
"...I'm dragging them here."
Dika laughed softly.
"You're still alive."
"That's already a win."
But no one truly relaxed.
Kai stared into the forest ahead.
The mist was thicker there.
The air felt heavier.
Almost alive.
"If the river guardian was only the gatekeeper..."
"...then whatever is waiting at the heart of this forest..."
No one finished the sentence.
They didn't have to.
Deep within the endless mist...
something that even the ancient guardian feared...
had just awakened.
Far beyond their sight, the Third Core pulsed with overwhelming power.
Not to summon its Guardian—
but to awaken something that even Dominion had never anticipated.