The women formed six groups, and each group chose two decoys. That leaves six decoys.
The aspiring hunters of Squad Z are the weakest of the entire group. They divide into two groups of four and choose two decoys.
In the end, only one woman remained: emaciated and thin, with cinnamon skin and tangled brown hair. The other decoy was a young man who walked with the aid of a cane.
Watson looks at me.
"Yes, I know it's a shitty situation. The decoys are two dead weights. But they're necessary. What the hell do these people live for? I don't even see a will to live in their eyes, which makes them even more of a dead weight," I think for a moment and finally decide to set up a temporary camp on the edge of the forest. In the end, just by coming here, we are already carrying out the mission.
Watson builds a fire and we sit around it. The bait is kept at a distance.
"Dan. Can I give my opinion?" Watson asked cautiously.
"From now on, don't ask, just give your opinion," I said as I stoked the fire with a branch in my right hand, while my left hand gripped one of the swords.
"In that direction, there are always large concentrations of monsters, but they are low-ranking. They are usually goblins, although sometimes there are mud men with two or three skulls. Maybe you can hunt them just like you did with the zombies," Watson suggests, pointing to one end of the forest in the distance.
"It's a little over 5 kilometers, but if we walk at dawn, we'll reach that area in less than two hours. After that, we can hunt and collect monster cores during the safe hours, so we won't be affected by the mysterious phenomena that the forest causes in people who are alone," explains Watson.
"Hunting during safe hours, we won't make a fortune, but we won't leave here empty-handed either." After thinking about it, I agree with Watson's idea. However, that idea means leaving the baits behind, because if we hunt during safe hours, the whispers of the forest won't affect us.
After agreeing to follow Watson's plan, I tell him:
"Sleep first, I'll sleep after the Terrifying Hours."
Night falls, and I throw more dry branches on the fire to reduce the cold. The baits approach and settle near the fire.
I keep my senses sharp, ready for any surprise attack.
The hours pass, and it is surprisingly quieter than I expected. Perhaps Area 4 left me with very high expectations regarding the danger of hunting areas.
When the terrifying hours arrive, Watson wakes up, and I continue stoking the fire, because there is nothing else entertaining to do and the cold is brutal.
Watson takes out some bread, gives me a piece of bread and a bottle of water.
The bread is softer than the last time, now I know what he spent his black tokens on. That's fine. You have to eat well.
Even so, he's too considerate. He gives two pieces of bread to the baits and a bottle of water. I don't say anything to him, in the end everyone is responsible for their own actions.
As the terrifying hours pass, I see in the distance a floating being covered by a tunic and a tattered hood that seems to glow in the moonlight.
"A specter," Watson murmurs.
"Yes, a specter, 3 to 4 skulls. I can't identify what kind of specter it is because of the distance," I think to myself as I keep my hand on Scarlet Rose, since the bullets contain my fear and are capable of killing a 3-skull specter and wounding a 4-skull specter.
Despite our vigilance, the specter only returns to the forest when the Terrifying Hours come to an end.
I sharpen my senses even more, using my fear to confirm that there are no threats nearby, and then I lie down to rest.
••••
I wake up at dawn, get up, and shortly after, Watson puts out the fire. We get ready to head to the area of the forest that Watson suggested.
The baits stare at us. I am the first to move forward. Shortly after, Watson approaches.
There was no other way; they had to stay behind.
We walk in silence, keeping our distance from the edges of the forest so we can react to any ambush.
An hour later, we reach our destination, and even though we are outside the forest, we can hear a river deep in the woods.
I start stretching, then swing one of the swords to familiarize myself with the weapon a little. I don't plan on being a swordsman, but at least I should know how to handle the weapon I'm using with some efficiency. That's something a hunter would do to ensure that his prey doesn't escape; or to avoid becoming the prey.
Watson looks at his watch, then says to me:
"Ten minutes until the Safe Hours begin."
I nod, take a deep breath, and say:
"Let's go into the damn forest."
••••
As we enter the forest, I channel my fear into the blade of the sword I wield, and every few meters I make a mark on the bark of the trees we leave behind as we walk.
Around us, light manages to penetrate the forest, but you can see that the deepest part of the forest is gloomy, and with every minute we advance, the trees become subtly larger.
I forget about the trees and keep my attention on the surroundings.
"It's 11 a.m.," Watson says.
We immediately pick up the pace, and in less than 10 minutes, we reach an area near the river, which roars louder and louder as we get closer.
We stay hidden behind the trees and see a long and imposing river.
In this world, deep water sources such as lakes or rivers are usually the habitat of ferocious monsters or supernatural beings.