They moved deeper as the sun leaned toward the middle of the sky.
The first change was not darkness.
It was the light.
Sunlight no longer fell freely from above. It fractured—into thin lines that clung briefly to leaves and tree trunks before dying on the forest floor. The air felt colder, heavier, carrying a faint metallic scent Eiran couldn't explain.
"This is still the outer belt," Sereth said, eyes scanning the surroundings.
"But it's not a friendly one."
Bram rolled his shoulders, the twin axes on his back shifting softly.
"So the forest's done pretending."
Arnold wiped the sweat from his brow while steadily pushing the supply cart.
"I preferred it when enemies said hello first," he muttered.
"At least that's polite."
Nox emerged from the shadows, his voice barely louder than the rustling leaves.
"The tracks are strange."
Kael stopped.
Not abruptly.
Not dramatically.
He simply stopped.
And the entire formation stopped with him.
"Strange how?" Kael asked.
"They circle," Nox replied.
"Not hunting. Observing. Testing the path."
Cale frowned.
"Goblins don't think that far."
"No," Sereth said quietly.
"But someone can teach them."
Eiran felt it then.
That sensation again.
Not fear.
Not danger.
But… being watched.
He instinctively looked up—branches, leaves, sky.
Nothing.
Ruen stepped closer.
"…You feel it too?"
Eiran nodded.
The resistance came an hour later.
Not an ambush.
A blockade.
Broken carts littered the narrow path—rotted wood, shattered wheels, old blood darkened into the moss-covered stones. Standing among the wreckage were hobgoblins.
Taller.
Broader.
Their armor mismatched but well-maintained.
Their eyes weren't wild—they were experienced.
"These ones know how to fight," Daren muttered.
Behind them—
The ground trembled.
A thick branch snapped.
Two massive figures stepped out from between the trees.
Lycan wolves.
Nearly three meters tall, shoulders as high as a warhorse's chest. Muscles flexed beneath dull fur, yellow eyes reflecting cold light. Their breathing was heavy, hot.
Eiran held his breath.
"Ah," Bram said casually.
"The big ones saved for last."
Daren grinned.
"In that case—"
Bram raised an axe high.
"A BET."
Everyone looked at him.
"Whoever kills the most today—wins!"
"And the loser," he continued, laughing,
"buys drinks for the whole bar when we get back."
Daren laughed loudly.
"You're ready to go broke, Barbarian!"
Varek lifted his rosary, face solemn.
"Forgive us, oh gods," he said reverently,
"For today, we sin… very efficiently."
Bram turned toward him.
"Oi, Priest."
Varek paused mid-prayer.
"If you don't fight," Bram said with a grin,
"and just stand there praying—"
He lifted his axe slightly.
"—you're paying for the drinks."
Varek was silent for a second.
Then he sighed and tucked the rosary away.
"Very well," he said calmly.
"I shall carry today's sins personally."
Arnold stopped pushing the cart.
He leaned against it, arms crossed.
"You boys go ahead," he said.
"I'll watch."
Kael did not draw his sword.
"Same formation," he said simply.
The clash came fast.
Clean.
Precise.
And… too easy.
Bram charged first, twin axes spinning wild yet controlled. The first hobgoblin was flung aside, body slamming into a tree before it could scream.
"ONE!" Daren shouted as his blade cleanly cut down another.
Bram veered and struck—
the hobgoblin fell first.
"Mine now," Bram said casually.
Daren froze for half a second.
"HEY! THAT WAS MINE!"
"Fast hands win," Bram replied.
"Axe-brain."
"YOU'RE the axe-brain!"
Lys leapt from a low branch, daggers flashing.
"Easy, boys. This isn't a festival~"
Elden advanced steadily, shield smashing into a smaller lycan that tried to rush forward.
The impact was heavy—but controlled.
Then the two large lycans moved.
Their target was one.
Kael.
They lunged together.
And for the first time—
Eiran saw it.
He did not see the sword leave the sheath.
No flash.
No sound of steel.
No step forward or back.
Just—
a fraction of a second.
The two lycans froze.
Then their bodies split apart.
Not once.
Not twice.
Several pieces fell almost simultaneously, crashing to the ground.
Kael was still standing in the same spot.
His sword… already back in place.
Eiran trembled.
"…What was that?" he whispered.
Ruen didn't answer.
He had forgotten how to breathe.
"Uh…" Daren sheathed his blade.
"That was… fast."
Bram laughed.
"Captain's cheating."
Sereth studied the field.
"Mid-zone," he said quietly.
"They shouldn't be this numerous."
Arnold whistled softly.
"Told you."
Eiran stared at Kael, his voice barely audible.
"How strong are you… really?"
Ivo smiled faintly.
"Strong enough to be ignored."
Elden tapped his shield.
"And foolish enough to keep going."
Kael looked toward the darker forest ahead.
"This is still the edge," he said.
"If this feels easy—"
He paused.
"—it's because the forest hasn't taken us seriously yet."
The wind whispered through the leaves.
And unnoticed—
perched high on an ancient branch,
a stone gargoyle watched.
Its wings folded tight.
Its eyes lifeless.
But the observation had begun.
And deep within The Oldreach—
something stirred.
This game
was no longer meant
to feel easy.