The road back to the city was quiet, eerily so. The forest around him was alive with the distant calls of birds and rustle of leaves, but something felt… off. The gauntlet pulsed faintly, sensing subtle anomalies in the air.
"Something's not right," it whispered.
Ahead, he noticed it: torn foliage, footprints of multiple combatants, and a trail of blood winding between trees. Not fresh—maybe a few hours old—but it spoke of violence. His instincts sharpened.
He moved silently along the trail, every step deliberate. Muscle memory guided him over roots, rocks, and uneven terrain. Every sense was alert. The blood trail led deeper into the forest, ending at the mouth of a dark cave partially hidden by overhanging boulders.
From a distance, he glimpsed it—a massive silhouette blocking the entrance. His gauntlet pulsed with recognition: Level 50 creature. Towering, muscular, covered in thick scales that shimmered faintly with dark mana, its claws embedded in the stone, eyes glowing faintly. He would not be able to defeat it in a direct fight—not yet.
"Guardian," the gauntlet murmured. "We are outmatched if we charge."
He crouched, focusing. Breath steady, heart calm. Perception and hearing were fully engaged. He could sense faint movements deeper in the cave.
Three lifeforms—alive, weak, struggling. One gravely injured, dragging themselves across the stone floor. One small, likely a child, trembling. One adult woman, exhausted and trying to hide herself and the others. Their aura was weak but clearly human, tinged with residual mana.
The gauntlet's pulse quickened. "Ambushed… clearly. Likely by forces higher than Level 50, or this is a trap."
He did not move yet. There would be no reckless attack. The forest around him was silent again, the only sound the faint drip of water from the cave ceiling.
He closed his eyes briefly, focusing his senses. Listening, analyzing, calculating the safest approach. Every movement, every breath, every sound mattered.
"We need information," he whispered, almost to himself. "No fighting yet. Observe, plan, then act."
The forest and cave were quiet… but the tension was palpable. Somewhere inside, the Level 50 guardian shifted slightly, its eyes glinting in the dim light, while the three survivors clung to life in the shadows.
And he knew: one wrong step, and this ambush could become his grave.