As they ventured deeper into the forest than before, they encountered a group of people walking steadily ahead of them, completely indifferent to their presence and fully focused on the purpose that had brought them there — extermination.
They were part of a Chalog hunting group that had recently become famous in Greysia for their unusual hunting methods. Instead of setting traps and ambushing monsters when they were off guard, they went straight to the monsters' nests. But before doing so, they prepared their plans very carefully, including backup strategies in case of failure, and involved two people with special abilities to minimize risk.
Why were they so reckless in doing such work? The answer was simple. They were paid a very large amount by their clients. Yes, roughly equal to a basic one-month salary in the Kingdom of Norn — 100 Pace.
They did this job to support themselves and send part of their earnings to their families. They worked entirely based on orders from their superiors, never asked questions, and did not know what their clients intended to do with the meat of those mutated creatures.
The permanent members of the group numbered around ten people, but the ones the three of them saw now were only five — two women and three men with striking and charismatic appearances wearing black fur jackets with golden accents.
While pushing aside the vines in front of him, Zavi asked curiously, "What do you think about those people?"
While brushing aside the thorny branch blocking his path, Moreira glanced to the left first, followed by Celvira who cautiously observed the surroundings.
"I think that man has a very strong and attractive aura. And that woman is also very beautiful," Moreira replied with a faint smile.
Celvira let out a short sigh. "That's not the answer he's looking for, Mr. Moreira. Do you really think he would be satisfied with that?" Celvira chuckled softly before continuing. "Perhaps what he means is, what kind of ordinary people would dare come to a horrifying place full of monsters like this?"
'Speaking of monsters, I myself am actually a monster,' Celvira added silently in her mind.
A faint smile appeared on her pale face. A few seconds later, she handed something to both of them. The pounding heartbeat, the sound of breathing, the atmosphere around them — Zavi and Moreira could feel it very clearly, as if they were truly there, inhabiting the body of one of those Chalog hunters.
"What is this!?" they muttered almost at the same time.
Celvira, who had been smiling earlier, suddenly turned expressionless as she spoke in a restrained tone, "So, what do you think? Focus properly, and don't forget there's a thorny branch right in front of you!"
Hearing that, Zavi failed to control his body properly. Too focused on the vision, he accidentally slammed his head against the large tree trunk in front of him.
Thud!!
The impact echoed in the air for a few seconds before Zavi cursed in annoyance.
"Damn..."
The hunter's perspective he had been seeing suddenly cut off, making Moreira startled as well when he heard the curse.
'Phew... He hit something too,' Moreira thought with the corner of his lips lifting slightly, almost smiling.
"I was too focused watching it," Zavi said quietly while shaking off his coat.
Rustle… Rustle…
The three of them suddenly turned around, their gazes fixed on the bushes moving in front of and behind them as if something was hiding behind them. They looked at each other before nodding, then decided to move silently to find out what was there.
Zavi gave a signal.
"One, two, three… open."
After hearing Zavi's signal, Moreira pushed aside the tall and dense bushes in front of him. He was shocked when, after stepping through them, the bushes closed again behind him and his legs felt as if they were being pulled by something. He slipped down into a steep dark ravine that suddenly appeared before him.
"Ahh..." he shouted in disbelief.
Strangely, only two steps after passing through the bushes, neither of them heard the scream or the sound of collapsing earth.
A few seconds later, the two of them felt the same bad premonition, as if something had happened to Moreira, even though they knew there had been a downward path behind the bushes.
They then pushed aside the bushes, slowly slipping past them, and emerged onto a narrow patch of ground about one meter wide. The view in front of them was completely pitch black, as if they had entered an entirely different world.
"Did night come this quickly? Miss Celvi—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Zavi turned to the side and was shocked to see that Celvira had disappeared without leaving any sound or trace.
"Damn. What exactly is happening?" he thought in confusion, his breath stopping for a moment after realizing something mysterious was waiting for him.
The corner of Zavi's lips lifted. "This is impossible. Don't bother me again, you stinking bastard," he muttered with a tone that almost rose, his heartbeat becoming irregular as he said it.
He stepped forward to check whether the ravine was deep, even though he knew he could see nothing but thick darkness.
Then...
"It's been a long time since we last met, Zavi, or rather Liam Tirarty. I don't want anyone else interfering with this meeting."
The voice sounded cheerful, with a clearly feminine tone. Her invisible presence only increased Zavi's confusion amid his panic.
"Who are you…? Are you speaking to me?"
'Is this the doing of that terrifying woman I met before?'
"Of course," the woman replied with a giggle. "I have spoken to you before, but you—"
Her voice suddenly cut off, making Zavi even more curious about who he was actually speaking to.
"Ah… why do I always get cut off again?" she muttered irritably.
Zavi's eyes widened as he watched time stop, followed by the world rotating ninety degrees.
When he blinked several times, Moreira suddenly appeared beside him, standing stiffly, his gaze empty mixed with a confused expression, as if he did not remember what had happened a few minutes earlier.
Strangely, there was no dark ravine in front of them. Only trees, bushes, tall grass beneath his feet, and vines hanging across the path before them.
'What does that woman actually want from me?' Zavi thought while holding his breath.
Meanwhile, Celvira's eyes widened, her face covered in cold sweat from the overwhelming spiritual pressure.
'Why… why can the fifth level speak so casually with that person?' Her gaze fell on Zavi who was briefly talking with Moreira.
"Who exactly are you?" she whispered in disbelief. A clean cloth appeared out of nowhere and she used it to wipe the sweat from her face.
Celvira chuckled softly. "Interesting. So you have found a vessel." She lifted her head, staring at the canopy above that blocked sunlight from reaching the ground.
"Why are you smiling to yourself, Miss? Is something funny?" Moreira asked suspiciously as he walked closer to her.
The fifth level, the determinant of power and rank among evil spirits, Mastering. A mysterious woman with a beautiful and charming face, yet hiding terror within it, someone who had once met and even spoken with him before, had taken the form of someone loved by the original Zavi — Aurora Chevalya.
Zavi, who was still standing not far from them, then stepped forward while thinking further about the previous incident.
'Tch. Why does that woman always appear at the most crucial moments? Who exactly is she? It feels like she wants to tell me something, but always fails every time. Is that intentional? Or does she want me to find out on my own?'
His steps suddenly stopped, his lips moving as if saying something.
"Aurora Chevalya. Is that you, or someone else?"
His brows furrowed. Thinking about it made him laugh to convince himself that he was not a madman.
'There's no point thinking about it either. As long as she doesn't interfere — wait, didn't she just interfere? I will find out who she really is — whether she's human, a spirit, even a monster, or perhaps a being with an existence higher than mine.' He stood motionless for several minutes thinking about it.
Since time had passed and dusk was approaching, he decided to give a short encouragement so they could continue the journey to search for the main ingredient in the Xinahiru forest, the blue lotus.
As for the other herbal ingredients, everything had already been prepared because according to Mr. Ulriech's explanation, materials such as Terami flowers, mint leaves, and crystal particles were available in the black market in the southeast of the Luand district.
In a vast and silent swamp area, dozens of blue lotus flowers floated gently, emitting a glow on the calm water's surface. But the tranquility did not last long after Celvira picked two of them.
A group of hungry crocodiles — or rather creatures that had mutated into terrifying monsters, hunter-type Chalog — emerged from the swamp water, releasing a strong surge of spiritual energy. The murky water churned as five of them lunged toward Esvalen, trying to devour him, but failed.
"Run."
That word appeared in their minds as they saw the five hunter-type monsters with sharp teeth charging forward with their jaws wide open.
They ran, avoiding the pursuit while breaking through dense bushes including vines, creeping thorny roots, and the exposed roots of giant trees rising from the ground.
Not wanting those creatures to chase them out of the forest, Zavi decided to pull out his revolver.
Bang! Bang!
The gunshots shattered the silence, accompanied by the painful roars of the monsters. The Chalog, which had originally been animals that mutated into terrifying monsters, saw one of their companions shot, slowing its movement as it roared loudly enough to deafen their ears, and the sound spread hundreds of meters away.
The remaining four Chalog became even angrier and moved faster than before in pursuit, intending to kill the three of them.
Realizing that his action had only provoked the Chalog's anger, Zavi quickened his pace while carefully avoiding the obstacles ahead.
Bang! Bang!
Gunshots echoed again, white smoke emerging from the revolver's barrel. A bullet pierced the eye of one of the Chalog, spraying dark purple blood in all directions.
"ARGHHH…"
The scream of pain echoed through the forest. Other Chalog who heard the sound were immediately drawn to the location and moved quickly toward it.
"Hey, do you want more Chalog chasing us?" Celvira muttered in slight annoyance.
They suddenly stopped, hearing the rustling of leaves and approaching footsteps from various directions.
"What should we do, Sir?" Moreira asked anxiously, feeling that his life might soon end.
"Damn. This is my fault." Zavi quickly opened the revolver's cylinder and reloaded it with bullets until it was full.
They were now hiding behind dense bushes, with fallen tree trunks forming something like a square, along with a large tree on higher ground leaning toward the bushes.
Zavi decided to climb that tree to observe the surroundings while waiting for the monsters to attack, intending to shoot them to death.
"Is something else coming?" Celvira asked. "It feels like they could appear at any moment," she murmured calmly.
He did not answer. Zavi kept observing the surroundings, but he did not find any sign that the monsters from before were still chasing him.
"You two go first," he said. "I'll handle the rest."
Zavi smiled faintly with confidence, believing he could defeat the monsters and catch up with them outside the forest.
The two of them obeyed his order and also thought this was the right moment to complete the other task. Meanwhile, Zavi assumed the monsters had given up and returned to their nest.
That assumption was wrong.
A strong wind swept through the bushes below him, leaving rustling sounds among the surrounding leaves, creating tension as he realized he was alone in the middle of a forest that served as a nest for monsters. A few seconds later, the three remaining hunter-type Chalog appeared searching for him.
Two of their companions were dying, perhaps soon to die, and they had come to avenge the intrusion into their territory and the death of their own kind.
"ARGHHH…"
They roared together after confirming their target perched on the tree.
They charged at full speed, the ground trembling beneath their feet, their jaws wide open as they leaped several meters toward him.
Then, from the left side...
A mysterious figure appeared, moving with incredible speed. With just a single step, it easily killed the three Chalog.
Zavi stared in disbelief, then smiled for the last time.
"Hehe. Trouble again."
New monsters, silent-type ones, had arrived and surrounded Zavi, all locking their gaze on him with confident expressions.