The ground continued to shutter, a rhythmic thump-thump that felt like the heartbeat of the forest itself.
"Is that the Boss?" In-ho asked, his voice cracking as he gripped the stolen mace. "It sounds like a mountain walking."
"It's a Cursed Wood-Ent," Si-woo said, picking up a stray stone and tossing it into the fog. "A massive pile of rotted timber and grudge-mana. It'll crush you into a pancake if you try to fight it head-on."
Liora wiped some soot off her forehead. "Then why are we standing here? We should be heading for the exit gate while it's busy eating those idiots who ran away."
"Because if we go now, we're just another three recruits with basic scores," Si-woo said, his eyes scanning the surrounding trees. He wasn't looking at the branches; he was looking at the roots. "In this life, being average is a death sentence. We need an edge."
He started walking in the opposite direction of the heavy footsteps.
"Hey! The exit is that way!" Liora hissed, pointing toward the faint glow of the Iron Gate's boundary.
"Follow me or don't. I don't give a shit," Si-woo replied without turning back.
Liora and In-ho exchanged a panicked look before scurrying after him. They trekked through a dense thicket where the mist was so thick it felt like walking through wet wool. Finally, Si-woo stopped in front of a weeping willow that looked like it had been struck by lightning a century ago.
"Here," Si-woo muttered.
"It's a dead tree," Liora deadpanned. "Great. We're going to die because you wanted to look at a dead tree."
Si-woo ignored her. He knelt down at the base of the trunk, digging through the mud and rotting leaves with his bare hands. After a few seconds, his fingers hit something hard and metallic. He hauled it up—a small, rusted iron lockbox embossed with a faded crest of a shepherd's crook.
"A cache?" In-ho leaned in, curious. "How did you know that was there?"
"Lucky guess," Si-woo lied. In his previous life, an old drunkard in a tavern had rambled about a "traitor's stash" hidden near the lightning-struck willow. The man had died before he could ever come back for it.
Si-woo smashed the rusted lock with the butt of the mace. The lid creaked open.
[Hidden Cache Discovered: 'The Deserter's Inheritance']
Inside weren't gold coins or shiny jewels. There were three items: a pair of leather gloves reinforced with silver threading, a small vial of concentrated blue liquid, and a tattered, black cloak that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.
"Is that... mana-wine?" Liora's eyes widened as she looked at the vial. "One drop of that can jumpstart a dead mage's heart."
"Drink it," Si-woo said, tossing the vial to her.
Liora caught it, stunned. "What? This is worth a fortune! We could sell this and live like kings in the lower city!"
"Drink it or I'll pour it down your throat," Si-woo growled. "You're low on mana, and the Wood-Ent has a core made of fire-resistant sap. You're going to need to burn hotter than you ever have if we're going to kill it."
Liora looked at the vial, then at Si-woo. She uncorked it and downed the liquid in one go. Her eyes instantly flared a brilliant, electric orange. Her skin stopped peeling, and the air around her began to shimmer with intense heat.
"Holy shit," she whispered, her voice sounding layered with power. "I feel like I could melt a castle."
Si-woo grabbed the black cloak and threw it over his shoulders.
[Item: 'Wraith's Shroud' equipped.]
[Effect: Reduces presence detection by 40%. Increases Agility by 5.]
He turned to In-ho and handed him the silver-threaded gloves. "Put these on. They'll keep the mace from flying out of your sweaty hands when you hit something hard."
In-ho pulled the gloves on, his large hands fitting perfectly. "What about you, Si-woo? You didn't take anything for yourself except the rag."
Si-woo looked toward the center of the forest. The thumping had stopped. A deafening, wooden roar ripped through the air, followed by the sound of splintering trees.
"I have the rag," Si-woo said, his voice cold and sharp. "And I have the memory of how that overgrown toothpick killed me last time."
He looked at his two "teammates"—the pyromaniac who finally had enough gas in the tank and the giant who finally had a weapon.
"The Boss just found the other candidates," Si-woo said, a dark smirk tugging at his lips. "While it's busy picking the meat out of its teeth, we're going to go in and end this. Move."