"Fireball!"
An orange fireball burst from Hunter's staff, crashing into the Fire Fox corpse with a fiery impact. Flames spread over the carcass, crackling and popping. From within, a swarm of visible mosquitoes flew out, each about the size of a fist and equipped with menacing, needle-like proboscises.
[Corpse Mosquitoes]
Level: 1
Strength: 1
Spirit: 1
Agility: 10
Endurance: 1
Skill: Corpse Venom (Silver Grade)
Hunter flicked his staff, launching another fireball straight into the cloud of mosquitoes, incinerating the swarm instantly. He shot Bastion a smug look before proudly striding over to Willow, as if to display his own superiority.
Golden Bow leaned over to explain to Bastion, "Corpse Mosquitoes are unique to the Bamboo Sea Mountains. They hide in dead bodies and infest anyone who gets too close. They're weak, but their venom is nasty. Every year, plenty of people fall victim to them."
Bastion nodded thoughtfully, grateful for Golden Bow's knowledge. Having an experienced leader certainly made a difference.
"Look here!" Chloe's sharp eyes caught a few paw prints embedded in the blood-soaked soil. The tracks formed the shape of plum blossoms.
"These are demon wolf prints! They went this way!" she pointed out.
"Let's follow them. With any luck, we can kill a few more wolves," Golden Bow decided, spurring the team forward.
Despite its name, Bamboo Sea Mountains didn't actually have any bamboo, a fact that puzzled Bastion as they trekked through the dense forest. Noticing his curiosity, Chloe chuckled, covering her mouth.
"Everyone asks about the bamboo on their first visit here. Thing is, there's no bamboo in the Bamboo Sea Mountains at all. The name came from a long-lost bamboo grove that was supposedly hidden here in an ancient secret realm."
"You know about secret realms, right?" she asked.
Bastion nodded. In this world, secret realms were mysterious spaces associated with untold fortunes and opportunities. Unlike dungeons, which were teeming with monsters, secret realms often held valuable artifacts, skill scrolls, or rare job progression books. Rumor had it that humanity's first successful resistance against the Abyss happened due to the immense benefits found in early secret realms.
"If there was a secret realm here, wouldn't there be a constant flood of adventurers?" Bastion asked, puzzled.
Golden Bow joined the conversation. "At first, plenty of people came searching for it. But after years of fruitless searching, the interest died down. The name stuck, though."
Satisfied with the explanation, Bastion felt a slight thrill. The mere thought of finding a secret realm stirred something in him.
Just then, he noticed Pyra's fur standing on end. Her ears perked up, her tail no longer swayed, and her entire body was alert.
[Master, something's wrong. I sense monsters nearby!]
"Be careful, everyone. I think there might be an ambush around us," Bastion warned.
Hunter rolled his eyes. "An ambush? Monsters don't have that kind of intelligence. You're new here, kid. Just watch and learn."
"Right," Chloe added. "If anything were close, I'd be able to spot it."
She stopped, activating her Insight skill, an ability unique to archers that enhanced detection. In her vision, the surrounding forest dissolved into layers, revealing the faint outlines of any nearby life forms. After a thorough scan, Chloe shook her head at Golden Bow.
"No sign of any monsters nearby," she reported.
"See? Nothing out there," Hunter scoffed, grinning smugly.
Golden Bow raised a hand, silencing him. "Enough, stay alert. The claw marks we've been seeing suggest more than one demon wolf. Let's move, but cautiously."
Bastion held his tongue, but he tightened his grip on his weapon, following the team closely while remaining vigilant.
As they pushed forward, they passed several animal corpses. Each time, Hunter would launch a fireball to cleanse the remains and exterminate any hiding Corpse Mosquitoes. After every cast, Willow would channel a healing spell to replenish his energy.
Gradually, a creeping unease started gnawing at Golden Bow. He signaled for a halt.
"Hold on… something's not right," he murmured.
Hunter looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong, Captain?"
"How far have we gone into the Bamboo Sea Mountains by now?" Golden Bow asked.
Chloe did a quick mental calculation. "Roughly… five or six kilometers?"
She trailed off, her face growing grim as realization dawned on her.
"Exactly," Golden Bow said. "We've gone five, maybe six kilometers in, and we haven't encountered a single live creature. By now, we should've run into something—anything. Yet we've only found corpses."
Chloe's expression turned grim as she considered Bastion's earlier warning. Her gaze drifted towards him, a glimmer of doubt in her eyes.
"Captain… are you saying the demon wolves left these corpses as bait? Like a trap?"
Hunter dismissed the idea instantly. "That's absurd! Demon wolves aren't smart enough for that. They're just mindless beasts!"
Golden Bow frowned, unwilling to dismiss his growing suspicion. "Maybe, but something feels off, and I'm not one to ignore a gut feeling. Chloe, check again."
"Got it!"
Chloe activated Insight again, scanning their surroundings with renewed focus. Willow fidgeted nervously, and Hunter tried to reassure her.
"Relax, Willow. Demon wolves can't set traps. There's no way."
Pyra, however, was more alert than ever, her fiery markings glowing ominously as her ears flicked in every direction, seeking any sign of movement.
Chloe's eyes darted around, each tree and stone vanishing under her sight, leaving only outlines of living forms. Seeing nothing amiss, she was about to deactivate the skill when suddenly, she caught a glimpse of something huge and fast-moving.
It was a demon wolf, powerful and robust, and as she continued scanning, several more figures appeared, their forms agile and predatory.
Chloe's breath hitched, and her face turned pale.
"Oh no… there really are demon wolves… and at least a hundred of them!"