Seven more days passed, marking three weeks since they'd left Linden Pine Valley. The trail had grown steeper, the trees thinner, and the air crisper as they climbed toward a jagged peak where Im had sensed a dense concentration of magical energy.
"Magical elements this strong usually mean a beast," Im warned, pausing at a narrow switchback. "And the stronger the elements, the deadlier the beast. We'll set traps halfway up—better safe than sorry."
Leon agreed wholeheartedly. Their traps had gone unused against the Shadow Bladed Panther, leaving him to be chased through the woods like prey. This time, they'd be prepared.
None of them were hunters, though, so their traps were simple but functional. Flower and Leon dug shallow pits, lining them with sharpened stakes, while Dahlia strung tripwires connected to weighted nets. Im supplemented the physical traps with low-power rune arrays—slowdown and binding spells, the most practical for both defense and escape.
"Snakes or burrowing beasts will bypass these," Leon admitted, testing a tripwire with his boot. "But for large creatures? It should work."
Im nodded, inscribing the final rune on a stone marker to warn them of their own traps. "Good enough. Let's move—stay low, and keep quiet."
They crept upward, the magical energy growing thicker with each step, until they reached a plateau two-thirds up the peak. A meadow stretched before them, dotted with wildflowers, and at its far end, a dark cave mouth pulsed with mana—like a heartbeat in the mountain.
And outside the cave, lying on the sun-warmed grass, was a beast that looked like a boulder covered in moss. Until it shifted, and Leon saw it was a massive cyan ox, its hide shimmering like polished jade, muscles rippling beneath the surface.
"It's an ox," Dahlia whispered, her voice trembling. "Can we fight it?"
Im studied the beast through narrowed eyes, his staff resting lightly in his hand. "I've never seen this species—not in any bestiary. It's likely a hybrid. Be on guard."
"Hybrid?" Flower asked, keeping his crossbow trained on the ox.
"Magical beasts have weak reproductive isolation," Im explained quietly. "On Earth, species can't interbreed, or their offspring are sterile—like mules. Here? Dragons, wolves, bears—they mix freely. Hybrids can be stronger than their parents, or useless. It depends on bloodline inheritance."
He gestured to the ox's cyan pelt. "I don't know of any oxen beasts with this color. It could have drake or earth elemental blood. Proceed with caution."
Flower bit his lip. "Can we sneak past it? Check the cave?"
Leon hissed, cutting him off. "Are you crazy? What if there's another one inside? We'd be trapped. Better to face it here, where we have traps."
Flower's cheeks flushed, but he nodded. Leon was right—recklessness would get them killed.
Im raised a hand, silencing them. He closed his eyes, and a faint blue glow emanated from his palm as he cast Scouting Eye—a small, invisible orb that transmitted what it saw directly to his mind. The orb floated toward the cave, slipping through the entrance.
A moment later, Im opened his eyes, frowning. "Too deep. The eye can't go far enough—beyond 300 meters, I lose control. I can't see what's inside, or if there are more beasts."
It felt like a wasted spell. The cave's depths remained a mystery, and the source of the magical energy still unknown.
Before Im could cast another spell, the cyan ox stirred. It lifted its head, ears pricked forward, and fixed its gaze directly on their hiding spot behind a cluster of boulders.
Im had masked his mana when casting Scouting Eye—Leon couldn't detect a trace of it. But the ox had sensed something.
It rose to its feet, standing over 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder, its hooves scraping the ground as it snorted, clouds of steam puffing from its nostrils. This wasn't a coincidence—it had found them.
"Prepare to retreat," Im whispered, his voice sharp. "We'll lure it to the traps. Herbivores often travel in groups—if there are others, the traps will even the odds."
Leon doubted the ox had companions—powerful magical beasts rarely did—but he didn't argue. He gripped his camshaft crossbow, checking the bolt loaded with a three-edged, blood-grooved tip.
The ox lowered its head, its horns glinting in the sun, and charged.
The ground shook beneath its hooves, a thunderous rumble that echoed through the mountains. Leon's heart raced as he turned and ran, Dahlia and Flower close behind.
"Ice Barrier!" Im shouted, casting a wall of translucent ice between the ox and the retreating apprentices. The spell wouldn't stop the beast, but it would slow it down.
They fled toward the trap zone, the ox's roars growing closer. Leon glanced back, seeing the ice barrier shatter into shards as the ox plowed through it, unharmed. Its hide was thicker than he'd thought—physical attacks alone might not be enough.
"Split up!" Leon yelled, veering left. "Lead it to the nets!"
Dahlia ran right, Flower straight ahead, while Im circled around, casting small ice spikes to redirect the ox's path. The beast hesitated for a split second, then locked onto Leon, its eyes blazing with rage.
Leon sprinted, his Mage Hand tentacles stretching out to grab a tree branch, pulling himself forward to gain speed. The ox's hot breath seared his neck, and he could hear its hooves thudding just behind him.
"Now!" Im shouted.
Leon dove to the side as the ox tripped over a hidden tripwire. With a sharp snap, a weighted net erupted from the underbrush, wrapping around the ox's legs. The beast stumbled, roaring as it fell to its knees, the net tightening around its limbs.
Im rushed forward, his staff glowing with blue light. "Binding Rune!" He slammed the staff into the ground, and glowing runes spread across the net, reinforcing it with mana.
The ox struggled, its muscles bulging as it tried to break free, but the net held. Leon, Dahlia, and Flower circled around, their weapons raised, ready to strike if the beast escaped.
Im approached cautiously, studying the ox's cyan hide and the faint magical aura clinging to it. "It has earth elemental blood—explains the strength and resistance to ice. No innate spells, though—good."
He turned to Leon. "Stay here and guard it. Dahlia, Flower, with me—we'll check the cave. The magical energy is too strong to ignore. It might be related to the ancient ruins."
Leon nodded, his crossbow still trained on the ox. As Im and the others disappeared into the cave, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.
Eldrin's journal had spoken of missing companions and a mysterious white light. Could this cave hold the next clue?
He glanced at the trapped ox, then at the dark cave mouth, and smiled.
Their journey was far from over. But one way or another, they'd uncover the truth—for Eldrin, and for themselves.