Orion was right.
Something had changed.
It wasn't subtle anymore. Not like the gradual shift they'd felt when entering the previous tier
of the forest. This change announced itself through resistance—through friction. Through
effort.
The strength of the monsters had increased.
Not dramatically, not explosively, but noticeably. The kind of increase that didn't overwhelm
you outright but demanded more attention, more coordination, more time. The type that
punished complacency.
The types of monsters had changed too. The creatures they encountered now were larger,
denser, more aggressive. Their movements were less erratic and more purposeful. They
weren't just reacting to intrusion; they were defending territory.
It was becoming obvious that the Jade Forest wasn't a single uniform ecosystem.
It was layered.
Tiered.
And they had crossed into another one.
That alone would have been manageable.
What wasn't, was the frequency.
