Kyle pressed the [YES] button on the [Return to Hexa] notification.
The world of eternal green meadows and the rainbow aurora above his head tore apart. The same pulling sensation he felt when drawn into the Ark now reversed, pushing him out. A moment later, his feet hit hard ground.
The scenery around him had returned to what it was: the gloomy, dark grassland where the Giant Rabbit Gate had once stood. But now, the place felt different. Deathly silent. There was a faint smell of char and lingering magic in the air.
Suddenly, something he hadn't felt inside the Ark hit him hard: hunger. His stomach growled loudly, a real protest demanding attention. His legs also felt sore.
「This... this is real,」 he thought, reaffirming the terrifying fact. Inside the Ark, he was safe. Here, in Hexa, he was once again a mortal human who could be hurt, get tired, and die.
He hurriedly reopened the urgent, golden notification.
[Warning!]
[Genesis Gate" (White) is threatened! Race: "Meadow Fox"]
[Location: Continent of Aethel, Silverwood Forest, Coordinates XXX.YYY]
[Warning: A Player party has entered the Gate.]
[Estimated Time Until Extermination: 71 Hours 48 Minutes]
The clock was ticking.
The notification now displayed a new directional marker on his interface, a magical compass pointing toward Silverwood Forest. The distance felt impossible. There was no other choice. With the shadow of the word
EXTINCT
burning in his mind, Kyle began to run.
After running relentlessly until his breath burned his lungs, Kyle finally arrived at the edge of a dense, unfamiliar forest. The trees here towered high, their canopies so dense they blocked out the light.
Suddenly, he heard a low growl from the nearby bushes.
His heart pounded. He immediately leaped behind a large tree, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his 'Starter Dagger'.
A creature stepped out from the shadows. It was an enormous Rift Wolf. Its fur was as black as a starless night, and its eyes glowed with a sharp, red light.
The wolf sniffed the air, its head turning straight toward Kyle's hiding spot.
『Fresh meat... Weak human...』
"W-wait!" Kyle ventured, his voice barely a whisper from behind the tree. "I'm not an enemy!"
The wolf froze. It stopped advancing, its head tilting in surprise. Its red eyes narrowed. 『You... speak?』
The creature took a step forward, no longer to attack, but to investigate. It sniffed the air deeply. Its nose twitched.
『...Your smell... is different.』 The wolf growled softly. 『You're not like those noisy 'fake humans'. You... you smell real. You smell of sweat... and fear. You smell like prey.』
「'Fake humans'...?」 Kyle thought, his brain making the connection instantly. 「He must mean... players!」
Kyle slowly stepped out from his hiding place, his hands raised. "I'm real. My name is Kyle. And I'm here to help. Those 'fake humans'... they're hunting the 'Meadow Fox' to exterminate them. Just like they exterminated the 'Giant Rabbits'."
The wolf snorted. 『The Foxes... Those fake humans are indeed a nuisance to the forest. They're noisy. They kill for fun. Why do you care?』
"I have to stop them," Kyle said, more firmly now. "I need to reach the Fox Gate, but this forest is dangerous, and I can't fight 'fake humans' if I run into them. I'm Level 1. But you... you and I, we're both bothered by them."
The wolf stared at him in silence, assessing.
"Help me," Kyle said. "Help me get to the Gate. If any 'fake humans' get in the way, help me. You hate them for ruining your forest, don't you?"
The wolf, the Alpha, snorted. 『Fight 'fake humans'? A waste of energy. They have no meat. They're just a pile of trash with noisy, artificial magic. We wolves can't be bothered to fight them.』
"But they're disturbing your forest, right?" Kyle pressed. "They're noisy. Just think of it as 'cleaning up' pests, not hunting. I just need help."
The Alpha stared at him, its glowing red eyes seeming to judge. 『...This is an interesting exchange, little speaker.』
The Alpha lifted its head and let out a low howl. From the shadows all around them, four other pairs of red eyes lit up. The entire pack had been there the whole time.
『Very well, little speaker. We will escort you. Show us the way. And if we find any 'fake humans', we will create chaos.』
Kyle led the Rift Wolf pack through the bushes, arriving at the edge of the clearing where the White Gate glowed.
「That's them,」 Kyle thought, spotting two players guarding the entrance. One in heavy armor with a large axe, the other an alert archer.
"Team One has been inside for six hours," said the archer. "They said the forest is a magic labyrinth. They're just running in circles. Annoying."
"Good," grunted the armored man. "We'll guard here. Make sure no low-level leeches get in and steal the loot. 72 hours is more than enough time to clear."
"That's them," Kyle whispered to the Alpha beside him. "Two guards. The main team is already inside."
『Only two?』 The Alpha snorted, dismissive. 『They'll be easy toys. Your goal is to get in, right? We'll be busy. Go.』
The Alpha shot forward like a shadow without waiting for Kyle's reply.
"Damn! Wolves! Watch out, it's an elite monster!" shouted the archer, letting loose an arrow.
The wolf dodged it easily. "Aggro! Hold your formation!" roared the armored man.
At that exact moment, the other four wolves burst out of the forest from the opposite direction. The players were now surrounded.
"Dammit! It's a trap!" the archer panicked, forced to switch to his dagger as a wolf lunged at him.
In the midst of the chaos, as the two players fought back-to-back, no one noticed the Level 1 figure sprinting out from his hiding place.
「Now!」 Kyle thought.
"Hey!" the archer spotted him. "A leech! He's..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the Alpha leaped, forcing the archer to roll away.
Kyle didn't look back. He leaped—diving straight into the white veil of light of the Gate.
As his vision turned white, he heard the triumphant howls of the Rift Wolves behind him.
Kyle landed softly on a bed of plush moss. He was alone. The air here felt ancient and was filled with the faint scent of flowers.
A rustling sound came from the bushes in front of him. A fox, larger than any he had ever seen, with fur as silver as moonlight and intelligent sapphire eyes, stepped out. It stood elegantly, its three tails swaying gently behind it.
『Another one?』 a calm but wary voice echoed in Kyle's mind. 『How many 'fake humans' must we lead astray today?』
"Wait!" Kyle shouted, holding up his hands. "I'm not a 'fake human'! I'm 'real'!"
The fox froze for a second, its ears twitching. It tilted its head, its sapphire eyes narrowing. 『You... speak our language?』
The creature sniffed the air.
『...You do smell different.』 The fox said, its voice remaining calm. 『Real. Not like the artificial magic smell of the others. But it doesn't matter. You are still an intruder in this Eternal Forest. Leave, or you will be lost forever.』