In the next few hours, Eva and Derek encountered several more magic beasts — mostly massive squirrels and giant rats.
By the time they reached a certain point, Eva was already exhausted from all the walking and fighting. She stopped, breathing heavily, and looked at Derek. "If we go any deeper, we'll run into stronger magic beasts. Why don't we leave that for next time? I'm already feeling pretty tired after all this walking and battling."
"Sure," Derek nodded.
With that, they exited the forest and returned to their respective rooms after exchanging goodbyes. Just before leaving, Eva turned back with a smile and said, "I'll meet you again tomorrow."
Derek went straight to his room, took a quick shower, and came out feeling refreshed. Coincidentally, Art stepped out of his room at the same moment.
"Hey, Derek! Heading for lunch?" Art asked.
"Yeah," Derek nodded.
"Let's go together. I was just about to head there too."
