Raizo spoke, "I guess the only thing to do is to move forward from this place." He walked through the forest of Alscort, feeling the strange, heavy atmosphere pressing against him. The deeper he went, the more he noticed that monsters here moved differently. Packs of them roamed the undergrowth—boars running alongside horned apes, wyverns circling overhead like vultures waiting for the weak to fall. Even the A-rank monsters were rarely alone. Raizo clenched his fist around Voidbringer. "Even the big ones have allies… this place is built for killers."
Hours of walking made his steps heavy. The trees grew larger and darker, their roots tangled like living traps. Then something caught his eye in the distance—a shape like a mountain resting in the middle of a clearing. He narrowed his eyes. "Wait… did that thing just move?"
He stepped closer, quietly, but then stopped. It moved again.
Raizo's eyes widened. "That's not a mountain…"
He immediately ducked behind a massive tree and climbed partway up to get a better view through the leaves. The shape shifted, groaning like boulders grinding together, and then he saw its outline clearly. It was a monster—a Behemoth. A giant, terrifying creature capable of leveling entire cities with one swing of its massive arms. Raizo's breath hitched. "Damn it… I've heard of them, but seeing one up close…"
The forest suddenly erupted with screeches. A pack of wyverns dove from above, raining elemental blasts onto the resting Behemoth. Fireballs and acidic mist rained down, but the Behemoth simply opened its glowing blue eyes, anger flashing in them like stormfire. It rose to its full height, towering like a fortress. Raizo's grip on the tree tightened, his heart racing.
The Behemoth raised a single arm.
With one sweep, it sent the entire wyvern pack crashing down, breaking trees and scattering feathers like shredded paper. Raizo stared, barely able to process the raw force. "There's no freaking way… I can't even imagine fighting something like that."
Carefully, he climbed down, keeping to the shadows. He turned north, avoiding the Behemoth's range, moving silently and quickly, not daring to make a sound.
He didn't know how long he had been walking after that. The endless trees made every direction look the same, and time felt meaningless. "This forest is endless," he muttered. "How many hours have I even walked?"
Then his senses screamed at him. Something was behind him.
Raizo turned and froze. A giant viper, long and thick as a house, slithered out of the underbrush, its golden eyes glinting with hunger. "You've gotta be kidding me…" His voice was low but filled with frustration. He immediately drew Voidbringer, ready for combat.
"Wind's fury, accelerate within!"
Wind Magic: Boost!
Mana surged through his body, his movements becoming lightning-fast. He closed the distance and struck, but his sword barely scratched the viper's hardened scales. Sparks flew as if he had hit metal. "Tch!"
The viper lunged, its massive tail whipping forward like a hammer. Raizo tried to dodge, but the tail caught him midair, sending him flying. He slammed against a rocky outcrop with a sickening thud, pain shooting through his ribs. His breathing was ragged as he forced himself to his feet. The viper's coils slithered closer, its tongue flicking.
"Fulmen's speed, electric tide, strike and flash, dash with pride!"
Lightning Magic: Lightning Dash!
His body sparked as he darted sideways, weaving between trees at incredible speed. But the viper simply plowed through them, breaking trunks as if they were dry twigs. Raizo clicked his tongue in frustration. "Persistent bastard!"
While running, he sheathed Voidbringer and aimed one hand backward.
"Wind's fury, concentrate and fire, aerial barrage, unleash and acquire!"
Wind Magic: Wind Bullets!
A series of compressed wind blasts shot out, pelting the viper's head, but they barely made it blink. "Not even a scratch?!" Raizo cursed.
He jumped onto a high branch, launching himself into the air, and pulled Voidbringer once more.
"Electric force, surge through me, swift strike, shocking destiny!"
Lightning Thrust!
He dove, his blade aimed at the viper's skull, but the serpent twisted at the last moment. Raizo's attack slammed into the ground instead, shaking dirt and leaves into the air. He rolled away, gritting his teeth. "Tch… this is bad."
The viper's massive body surrounded him now, coiling into a death trap. Its mouth opened wide, dripping venom thick enough to melt through wood. It lunged to swallow him whole.
Raizo ducked and rolled, swinging Voidbringer, but his blade simply skidded across its scales again. "Too tough… damn it!" He leaped upward, but the viper's tail lashed, slamming into him with brutal force.
His body crashed and rolled like a ragdoll, dirt caking his face. When he stopped, his vision spun, but something caught his eye—a shadowed opening nearby. A cave.
"A cave… perfect!" He forced himself up, dashing toward it. The viper hissed, trying to cut him off, but its body was too large. Raizo slipped into the cave just as its massive head crashed into the stone entrance. The serpent recoiled, roaring in frustration, its golden eyes glaring into the darkness where Raizo had disappeared.
Raizo leaned against the wall, panting. "Made it…" He raised his hand.
Fire Magic: Spark!
A small flame appeared, floating near him and lighting the damp interior. The flickering light revealed jagged walls, faint scratches, and strange markings. Curious, Raizo ventured deeper. He peeked back once; the viper's silhouette still waited at the cave mouth, unmoving. "Persistent snake… you can wait all you want."
The further he went, the stranger the cave felt. The walls bore carvings—symbols, spirals, and faint murals of beasts clashing with armored figures. Some markings looked old, carved with care, while others looked like claw marks from something trapped long ago.
The tunnel turned once, then twice, leading him further underground. His flame orb hovered ahead, lighting his steps. Eventually, the path ended at a single, heavy door. It was ancient, its surface lined with faded gold patterns and strange runes. Raizo's throat felt dry. "What is this place?"
He gulped and pushed the door.
It opened with a low groan, but no trap sprang forth. What lay beyond was a circular room, quiet and still. At its center sat a skeleton on a chair, clad in rotting garments that might once have been regal robes. Its bony fingers rested on the hilt of a weapon laid across its lap.
Raizo stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "Someone… died here. But why like this?"
The skeleton sat as if waiting for something, unmoved for years, maybe centuries. Dust lay thick, yet its presence felt heavy, like it still lingered in spirit. Raizo glanced back toward the tunnel, where the viper was surely still waiting, then turned back to the skeleton.
"Guess I'm not the first one to hide from something out there…" he muttered.