In the dense forest, two figures—a man and a woman—appeared.
Catherine, with her tall, slender build and ponytail, was panting heavily as she stared ahead into the seemingly endless forest. Frustrated, she said, "Capes, how much further? We've been walking for half the day already…"
Capes, his gaze intense as he looked into the shadowy trees ahead, responded in a low voice, "We should be close. Let's keep going; just a little further."
Catherine sighed but, thinking of the possibility of finding the spellcaster organization she had dreamed of, got back to her feet and pressed on.
Suddenly, a huge roar shattered the quiet of the forest, and the ground seemed to tremble.
Capes and Catherine immediately went on high alert, scanning their surroundings.
Emerging from the forest, a massive striped tiger, over three meters tall, came into view. In its presence, Capes and Catherine looked as small as children in a fairytale.
"It's a striped tiger! But… how did it get this huge?" Catherine gasped. Striped tigers were common enough, valued for their fur, but they rarely grew taller than a person.
This beast, however, was colossal, radiating a fierce aura as it fixed its deadly gaze on Capes and Catherine.
"Be careful, Catherine," Capes said cautiously, stepping back. "We're probably in the depths of the Kurd Mountains. Strange things happen here, and some adventurers report encountering unusually large beasts."
The striped tiger suddenly let out a thunderous roar, its enormous body pouncing towards Capes with the speed of a small hurricane, making the air around him howl with the force of its attack.
In a flash, Capes surged forward, his body pulsing with concentrated wind energy, leaping toward the tiger with lightning speed.
"Slash!"
With a focused shout, he drew the massive sword from his back, its blade flashing red as it sliced through the shadowy forest.
The mighty striped tiger didn't even have time to let out a cry; a spray of blood erupted from its head, and the beast's colossal form crashed to the ground with a thud.
Capes, still holding his ink-black sword, looked down at the striped tiger's body, a hint of relief in his expression. "Lucky I had this iron blade. Without it, dealing with a monster this size would've been a lot more trouble."
His black iron sword, crafted from a rare, durable mineral, was razor-sharp and could cut through even the thickest armor. With this weapon and his skills as a third-level wind swordsman, Capes had managed to dispatch the massive beast.
Catherine joined him, glancing at the tiger with admiration. "Good thing you snuck out Father's sword. But with creatures like this showing up here, who knows what else lies ahead? Are we sure about going deeper?"
Catherine's face betrayed a flicker of doubt and fear.
"We're already here in the depths. No way we're turning back now! Don't worry, Catherine; with this sword, we'll be fine. Let's keep going a bit further. If we can't find Darklight Domain, we'll head back."
Catherine hesitated before nodding and following her brother as they pressed onward.
---
"Hmm? Movement at last?"
Elsewhere in the forest, Merlin's face lit up. The black ring he wore, previously silent, had begun to glow faintly with a mysterious light.
Merlin could sense that the light was emanating from the runes inscribed on the ring, as if they had been triggered by something nearby.
Runes held secrets only a spellcaster could fully understand, used to create wards and to imbue items with special powers. Given that this ring was a token from Darklight Domain, it was likely enchanted. Now that it had started glowing, it might be leading him to the organization.
With renewed determination, Merlin ventured further into the mountains, watching as the ring's glow intensified. He had a feeling that when the light reached its peak, something extraordinary would happen—perhaps he would finally find Darklight Domain.
"Onward… left, forward again, and keep going…"
Merlin followed the ring's subtle guidance, feeling it begin to pulse faintly. It seemed something deep within the forest was calling to the ring, guiding him toward it.
Suddenly, the sound of crashing branches and snapping leaves filled the forest, as though some massive beast were barreling through the trees nearby.
Merlin instantly went on guard; there had been many strange occurrences in these mountains, and numerous adventurers had met untimely ends here. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Moments later, two familiar figures came stumbling out of the underbrush in a panic—Catherine and Capes.
"You?"
"Is that you?"
Both parties recognized each other in surprise.
"Run! It's an Icefield Direwolf! Damn it, why is a creature like that in the Kurd Mountains?" Capes shouted frantically as he approached Merlin. Behind them, an enormous silver-white wolf, radiating an icy aura, appeared.
"Icefield Direwolf?" Merlin's heart skipped a beat. This wasn't just an ordinary beast—it was an elemental monster, made of pure cold energy, its form held together by condensed ice elements.
Direwolves like this weren't something a low-level elemental swordsman could handle. Only powerful mid-level swordsmen or skilled spellcasters could face them.
The captain of Pagus City's guard, Cook, had once slain an Icefield Direwolf, earning him great renown. Anyone capable of defeating such a creature would be celebrated as a powerful warrior.
It was clear, however, that Capes and Catherine had no chance against this fearsome beast, leaving them no choice but to flee.
"It's too fast. We're doomed…" Capes muttered, a look of fear crossing his face as the Icefield Direwolf closed in.
Just then, the black ring on Merlin's hand flared with brilliant light. The runes engraved on the ring seemed to awaken, vibrating intensely as if triggered by the presence of the elemental beast.