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Dianal spoke, recalling his time serving in the Neokalitz unit.

He said there was a demon in the Bronselian Forest.

When Damian first heard those words, he scoffed.

A demon? Where in the world would you find one?

But Dianal’s expression was serious.

He spoke of monsters that defied the norm.

Creatures that were so ferocious and abnormally strong, it was as if they were possessed by demons.

“Would you believe it if I told you a demon-possessed orc took down a Steelwolf with its bare hands?”

The Steelwolf was a monster known for its teeth and claws, as sharp and strong as steel.

It usually took at least five orcs to take one down.

But a single orc?

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. It forced us to abandon that place in the end.”

The Neokalitz unit had been disbanded for reasons unknown.

It was only because of that disbandment that Damian had the chance to meet Dianal.

“A demon…”

Damian recalled those memories.

Thud. Thud.

Was it just his imagination, or did the forest feel even colder today?

The Neokalitz unit carefully moved through the Bronselian Forest, cautiously surveying the surroundings as they advanced.

They had entered the restricted zone.

“Hold. First, scout the area. Move in teams of three, but do not stray out of sight.”

They were to search only within the range of the others’ vision.

At Tarion’s command, everyone nodded and quickly spread out.

Then Tarion turned to look at Damian and Kyle.

“You two follow me. Don’t fall behind.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Understood.”

Damian and Kyle answered and followed Tarion’s scouting group.

Swoosh.

Damian glanced around lightly.

The surroundings seemed ordinary.

But the heavy atmosphere was anything but.

‘…What is this?’

It was just an ordinary forest.

‘So why does it feel like a battlefield?’

A place where life and death coexisted.

Damian had spent five years in such an environment.

His entire being was telling him that this place was dangerous.

Thud… Thud…

His steps became more cautious.

Damian’s eyes darkened as he scanned the area.

There was nothing there, but it felt as if something was lurking just beyond sight.

And then…

Beep!

A short whistle sound.

Tarion stopped walking and turned towards the direction of the sound.

“Did they find something?”

The soldiers quickly gathered where the sound had come from.

There, they found the gruesome remains of the dead.

What was peculiar was that the mercenaries’ belongings were still there.

“How desperate must those foxes have been to just check and then run off?”

Foxes were a term for the Erkal Defense Force’s scouting units.

Even if they didn’t retrieve bodies, they always took anything of value.

Tarion looked at the sword and other equipment lying next to the dead mercenaries.

They were of decent quality.

“It must have been terrifying.”

Swoosh.

Tarion gazed at the dead bodies and then looked toward the other side of the forest.

A large tree had been split vertically and lay fallen on both sides.

What kind of monster could have done something like that?

“Could it be a bear-type monster?”

“There’s no bear-type monster in the Bronselian Forest capable of this.”

“Then… could it be an ogre?”

An ogre, known as the tyrant of the forest.

If it was an ogre, then it was indeed an emergency.

But at that moment…

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

“…?”

The soldiers’ gazes turned to one side.

Beyond the bushes lay the corpse of a Red Bear.

It bore five long, deep wounds on its back.

The evenly spaced slashes were too precise to be from a sword.

Damian, who was examining the Red Bear’s corpse, looked up.

“As the commander said, it seems to be a bear-type monster. If it weren’t, the spacing of these claw marks wouldn’t make sense.”

The spacing between the claws was over 5 centimeters.

This meant that the size of the forepaw, when clenched, was as large as a human head.

If such a creature swung its claws…

“…That makes sense.”

Damian looked at the split tree.

If observed closely, there were traces of something having pierced the center and then torn it apart to the sides.

“…”

Tarion turned his gaze to Damian.

His analysis was impeccable.

Each observation provided a perfect explanation.

It was as if the entire scene was being replayed in his mind.

“Where did you learn this?”

“My father was a hunter. I don’t know much about forests, but I picked up a lot from him when I was young.”

“Wait? I thought your father was in the mili—”

Kyle started to speak but then stopped.

He caught Damian’s gaze and quickly shut his mouth, turning away as if he knew nothing.

“…I see. You learned well. Alright, let’s hurry and take care of the bodies. We should return them to their families.”

The soldiers brought out large cloths to wrap the bodies.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have the capacity to bring back the mercenaries’ bodies as well.

“We’ll sell this and use the money to buy herbs.”

They only took the mercenaries’ belongings.

As they began to finish up, Tarion looked deeper into the forest.

There was definitely something there.

If there was a threat, it needed to be dealt with.

That was their duty. But…

“…We’re heading back for today.”

“You’re not going to go any further?”

“First, we’ll return the bodies and regroup before coming back.”

This feeling isn’t good.

Tarion swallowed the rest of his words.

There was no need to heighten everyone’s anxiety.

Damian silently agreed.

They had seen traces, but the scale of what they were dealing with was far beyond ordinary expectations.

It would be s*****e to venture further into the forest without knowing what they were up against.

‘An excellent commander.’

In his past life, Dianal would occasionally speak of the commander who led him when he was the youngest in his unit.

“He was a bit gruff, but he was a good person. He was also excellent. I learned a lot from him.”

It was understandable that he would be missed.

A commander like this was rare.

Most would push too hard for their own glory, sacrificing their subordinates as if it were nothing.

It was expected.

What did it matter if a few lives were lost, as long as it was just a minor inconvenience or a small financial or positional setback?

Mistakes wouldn’t usually cost lives.

But this place was different.

Tarion understood.

He knew that one wrong decision could cost his soldiers their lives.

That’s why he had to be even more cautious.

Even if it meant being slow and frustrating.

“Fall back, quickly!”

At his command, Erin, the deputy commander, shouted loudly.

The soldiers, carrying the wrapped bodies and gathered belongings, immediately turned to leave.

But at that moment…

“…!”

“Everyone, get down!”

As Damian shouted, a massive black object came crashing down from above.

Boom!

“Arghhhh!”

“My leg! Aaaaargh!”

It was a giant boulder, at least 2 meters in diameter. The sheer size of it made one question how such a thing could even exist in the forest. A soldier trapped under the rock screamed in agony.

“Kyle!”

“Aaaaaaaaah!”

At Damian’s cry, Kyle shoved his hands under the boulder, trying to lift it. But it was too heavy for him to manage alone.

“Ugh!”

Damian joined in, channeling mana throughout his body from his mana hole.

Rumble!

With both of them exerting their strength, the boulder started to lift slightly, creating a small gap.

“Hurry…!”

“Rescue the soldiers!”

Other soldiers rushed over, pulling their trapped comrades from under the boulder.

Despite the lack of handles or proper grip, with about a dozen soldiers helping, they managed to free everyone trapped beneath it.

“…Damn it.”

Tarion’s face twisted in frustration.

Two of the soldiers were severely injured. One had his right leg completely crushed.

But just then…

“Chew on this.”

Damian pulled out a reddish berry that resembled a wild strawberry from his bag, along with some herbs.

“You have to chew it as long as you can to extract the juice. It’ll help ease the pain a little.”

He moved to place the herb and the berries in the mouths of the injured soldiers. But before he could, thud—Tarion grabbed Damian’s arm.

“Amancho has pain-relieving properties, but it’s a poisonous herb. If they eat it without proper antidote preparation, it could be even more dangerous.”

“That’s why they need to take it with this Neimoja berry.”

The red berry was called Neimoja. Specifically, it was the seeds inside the berry that were crucial.

“If they chew the Neimoja seeds thoroughly to extract the juice, it will neutralize Amancho’s toxicity.”

Damian quickly placed the Amancho and Neimoja into the mouths of the injured soldiers. They had to chew as much as possible while still conscious.

Following Damian’s instructions, the injured soldiers chewed the herbs with all their might.

“Ahhh…”

“Ughhh…”

Though they were still in pain, their expressions seemed to ease slightly.

But the real problem wasn’t the pain.

“Rooooaaaar!”

It appeared.

Tarion sprang to his feet and shouted.

“Prepare for battle!”

Clang, clang, clang!

The soldiers swiftly drew their swords and turned to face the threat.

A massive black figure emerged.

It was definitely a bear-type monster, but…

“…What the hell.”

“I’ve never seen one this big…”

It stood well over 3 meters tall.

They had to tilt their heads back just to look at its face.

Its size was so enormous that when it appeared, it cast a shadow over them.

“Rooooaaaar!”

“Get out of the way!”

Whooosh!

The Black Bear swung its massive paw with a loud roar.

Even though they dodged, the wind pressure from the swing was enough to make their bodies stagger.

“Move the wounded to the rear! Surround it and attack its legs!”

It was so large that attacking its upper body seemed impossible.

At Tarion’s command, the soldiers quickly surrounded the Black Bear and began their assault.

“Haaaah!”

A muscular soldier shouted as he swung his axe.

The curved axe struck the Black Bear’s calf, but…

Crunch!

“…!”

The wound was barely a scratch.

‘My attack can slice through an ork’s thigh, but…’

It couldn’t even cut through the calf?

The muscular soldier’s eyes widened in shock.

“What are you doing?!”

“Ah!”

He hesitated for just a moment in surprise.

But that brief lapse…

Wham!

The muscular soldier was struck by the back of the Black Bear’s paw and was sent flying.

Thud.

He didn’t die, thanks to it being a backhand strike instead of a clawed one, but…

“Helson!”

Whether unconscious or stunned, the soldier named Helson didn’t get back up.

“Rooooaaaar!”

The Black Bear pounced towards the fallen Helson, seemingly intent on crushing the one who had dared to injure it.

Its massive paw came crashing down towards Helson.

But at that moment…

Bang!

“Grrr…!”

Tarion intercepted the attack with his greatsword.

Blood trickled down his forehead as the force of the impact caused a deep cut on his cheek.

He managed to block the attack, but he couldn’t completely absorb the force.

“Damn monster…!”

Three of his men were down.

Tarion’s eyes glinted with murderous intent.

“Haaaah!”

“Attack now!”

While Tarion held the bear at bay, the Neokalitz soldiers targeted its legs, thrusting their weapons into it.

Despite its tough hide, they were finally able to draw blood.

“Damn it! Keep stabbing until it’s dead!”

“This monster…!”

Numbers were their strength.

Before long, blood began to flow from the Black Bear’s thighs and calves.

“Rooooaaaar!”

It roared in pain and staggered.

And at that moment…

“This is just the beginning, you damned beast…!”

As the Black Bear stumbled back, Tarion pushed off the ground and charged.

With both hands gripping his sword, he lunged at the creature’s chest.

The sword, now vibrating faintly, seemed to hum.

Bzzz.

Damian’s eyes sharpened as he watched.

‘…Mana?’

With a faint trace of mana coursing through Tarion’s sword…

“Die.”

Tarion’s sword sliced through the Black Bear’s body.