A team of four level 7s proceeded deep into the forest. The path that was initially only 10 meters widened further but the trees also grew wider and taller.
They kept going until they found a hill.
On top of the hill was a huge red-eye, looking down at them.
"Fuuuck!"
Thus, the battle began.
"Hold! Increase the soil wall's thickness in the middle! Block its claws!"
The earth awakener gritted his teeth so hard that he began to bleed. Yet, he desperately channeled the earth mana in his body and solidified the thick soil wall in front of him.
The center of the wall, in particular, was infused with so much mana that it could stop an airplane from taking off.
Rooor!
Following a roar, the earthen wall shook and its edges broke apart. Sharp nails the size of a person shot out from the edges of the now broken soil wall.
But thanks to the wall center being strong, the claw couldn't move further and the nails stopped just a meter away from the earth awakener.
"Elementals! Launch fire bullets into its eyes and you—support him by paralyzing the damn thing!"
Following the orders, a huge lightning snake manifested and coiled around the giant humanoid monster.
"Fuck! I can't paralyze its whole body. Only one part." The lightning awakener said.
"Go for its neck! Neck!"
"Right!"
Crackle!
The lightning snake slithered around the giant humanoid and entered its neck.
Its single eye, the size of a car, moved toward the tiny humans on the ground and its arms shot at them with greater force.
"Roar!"
"Now!"
A torrent of fire bullets shot toward the one-eyed giant from behind. The giant's super senses informed it of the attack and it was about to tilt its neck to dodge—that's how it always acted.
But at that moment, the lightning snake in its body suddenly exploded and the lightning mana coursed through its neck, paralyzing it.
The giant held up its hands to block the bullets at the last moment and would've succeeded if the hundreds of fire bullets didn't suddenly speed up and reach its single eye.
The giant closed its eye at the last moment and the fire bullets exploded!
The team's expression finally brightened and their eyes burned with desire. The team leader didn't hesitate and said.
"Now!"
They all started running away.
Shooting through the air like a bullet, the team leader, a macro kinetic looked behind with a pale face.
The one-eyed giant opened its eye. Except for the burnt marks on its eyebrow, its eye was perfectly fine.
"Fuck!" He cursed and yelled. "Faster! Or you'll die!"
The team sped up and the chase went on for five minutes.
It became clear that while the specialty of the creature was defense and strength, its speed was still equal to theirs.
"…When you said 'NOW', I thought you were gonna finish it off." The lightning awakener panted as he spat out clouds of lightning.
"In my dreams, sure." The macro kinetic spat with a mocking smile.
The monster was too strong!
Even their party with four high level 7s was powerless against it.
'Only those three can face it.'
The team leader felt a sense of frustration well inside and to distract himself, he swept his mental sense back. He found the giant creature chasing after them and in fact, closing the distance.
"Fuck!"
Since the barrier protected and isolated the trees, they could only walk on the path and had no option like 'escaping into the forest.'
In front of them was the same unending path and behind them was a fucking monster.
If they continued their actions, there's a good chance they'd be exhausted and they'd all die.
As they continued running, the path in front of them suddenly branched out.
The team leader's eyes shone and he gritted his teeth. "Everyone."
A heavy atmosphere descended even before his next words came out. But when they did, the atmosphere hit rock bottom. "Let's split up and leave our lives to fate."
If they stayed together, they'd all die.
If they split up, except for one, the other three would survive.
"Fuck!"
"Don't die, you guys!"
"I want to live!"
"I'm sorry!"
Bidding short farewells, they picked a path each and left.
The monster, as the team leader expected picked a path.
Soon after, a scream echoed throughout the forest.
"I….I want to liveeeee—Arghhh!"
The scream turned into a shriek and came to an abrupt end.
A chill shot down the spines of everyone who was yet to encounter a monster and the existing fear deepened in the ones already fighting one.
*** *** ***
"…This is gruesome." Prince Curtis shook his head in pity watching what was once a human.
Now, there was only a mass of flesh, blood, and bones.
After hearing the scream, he rushed to this place.
But it's already too late.
"We underestimated this place too much…" He looked at his fractured arms and sighed.
Not just that, his body also had a couple of small injuries.
In fact, they'd heal in a few minutes and weren't something to worry about by themselves.
But the fact that even one of the strongest members got injuries to kill a monster was a frightening revelation.
"This fucking trial…"
As Curtis was about to curse further, his senses picked up the arrival of a creature and his face soured.
"W…Why is this monster also targetting me?" Curtis shook his head and his body blurred.
"Roaar!"
A giant crocodile-like creature chased after him.
Curtis threw it away after five minutes, then—
"Kreee!"
A big beast with the face of a lion and the body of a tiger. Liger.
Curtis ran away for a few more minutes and threw off the Liger.
Then came Thunder Mammoth, Blue-scaled Anaconda, and humanoid beasts.
In the end, Curtis ran to the edge of the forest and collapsed on the ground.
"Haa! Haaa! Haa!"
Panting heavily, he drank some emergency potions and wished for peace.
'This fucking…are they really chasing me because I killed one of them?'
That's the only reason he could think of.
Because…
Curtis opened his eyes and saw the golden key in his hand.
He looked at the forest again before turning to the entrance.
As he exited the forest, he saw a young man rushing in.
"Oi, oi!" He called out, deciding to do one good deed before leaving for the next stage.
"What? I'm in hurry." The young man replied, his expression growing impatient.
"You...You're that dual awakener, right? The one with the old man's face? Except for him, I know everyone else more or less." Curtis said.
"…" Varian was dumbfounded at those words and finally pointed towards his young face that seemed to be in his twenties. "I want to look young. Problem?"
"…No. Just don't go inside. Your strength can barely fight high level 7, but against the monsters, you'll die. No way out." Prince Curtis said with a grave expression.
"…are they as strong as you?" Varian asked with a frown.
Prince Curtis looked normal at first glance, but even his clothes that had a self-cleaning function couldn't hide the small tears here and there along with the traces of injuries.
Most importantly, Prince Curtis gave off the feeling that he was utterly exhausted. Mentally, if not physically.
"…The monsters are a bit weaker than me," Curtis said with certainty.
"Then why…"
"Once you kill a monster, every other monster in the vicinity chases. That's why..." Prince Cutis smiled bitterly and was about to say more when a roar shook the sky.
"Roaaar!"
"One more is coming for me." Curtis turned around and looked at the path.
Even though the monster wasn't visible yet, the granules of sand on the path started to jump.
As expected, a giant hydra-like creature was approaching them, no, him, at a quick speed.
Prince Curtis clenched the key in his hand and floated to the gate. Since Varian was there, he also took Varian with him and they both landed in front of the gate.
"…Go back. For you, this isn't a trial, it's a death sentence." Prince Curtis said as he opened his palm.
The golden key in his palm started to glow.
"Go back…?" Varian muttered, seemingly in confusion.
"That gate that we came through..it's still open." Prince Curtis pointed to the blue vortex nearby.
"Since you're a level 7 dual awakener, you must be older than me. So, don't take a stupid risk. Runaway now and you can live to see another day." Prince Curtis said and his body was covered in a golden light.
"You're a space awakener, so teleport alrea—"
Before he could finish his words, he disappeared.
"Roo—?!"
The hydra-like beast just came out of the beast and was in the roar, but it stopped abruptly.
Varian observed the beast carefully. There was a shining golden light coming from the central snakehead.
'The key to the palace!'
Varian's eyes lit up and as if sensing his excitement, the hydra's nine heads turned to him.
The air turned still.
'…Strong.' Varian felt tremendous pressure under the beast's display of strength.
He had zero chance of winning this thing with his current strength. If a path or two reached high level 7, that's another issue.
But now…
'I need to escape.' Varian channeled his space power and was about to teleport when—
The hydra observed Varian for a few more seconds as if confirming something.
Then it roared.
"Rooo~"
Just when Varian was about to teleport, it turned around.
Without any hesitation, it went back to the forest.
"…Wait, but why?"
Varian's mind was a mess.
His gaze inadvertently landed on the giant screen.
{Welcome To The Royal Garden}
{Prove Your Worth To Enter The Palace}
Varian's eyes widened.
'Wait a minute…!'
