Chapter 16: Predators
The ground started shaking, announcing their presence before the figures even materialized. A massive dust cloud rose into the air like a tempest, concealing everything that lay ahead. Yuno struggled to see through the shadows as his cap became rigid while he tried to identify the moving figures. His instincts warned him of an approaching force of great power.
Then, two figures stepped forward.
They weren't monsters.
They were human.
Mages.
The system scanned through Yuno's vision, analyzing the two approaching figures. The first figure appeared as a hooded man holding a long wooden staff in his hands. The system displayed his current level immediately after scanning him.
[System Notification]
🔍 Scanning Target…
⚠️ Warning: Target is at a much higher level!]
[Class: mage] LV. 28
Further identification unavailable. Insufficient skill level.]
Yuno tensed. That was already bad. But then, the second figure stepped forward.
[System Notification]
🔍 Scanning Target…
⚠️ Warning: Danger Level Extremely High!]
[Class: mage] LV. 36
Further identification unavailable. Insufficient skill level.]
Yuno's core trembled. A level 36 opponent? That was absurd. He was barely Level 16, these two could obliterate him in seconds.
The bald mage, the stronger of the two, let out a satisfied chuckle. "Finally…" he muttered, his piercing gaze locking onto something behind Yuno.
It wasn't him they were after.
It was something else.
Yuno felt a mix of relief and anxiety. If they weren't looking for him, did that mean they would leave him alone? His thoughts were interrupted by Piggy stepping forward, positioning herself between him and the approaching mages.
"Piggy" Yuno's voice caught in his throat.
She was glaring at the two intruders, stamping her hooves into the dirt. Her body was tense, her small frame standing defiantly in the face of overwhelming strength.
The hooded mage barely acknowledged her. "Strange…" he muttered, glancing at Yuno. "Low-level demons in this area?"
Yuno didn't move. He knew better than to respond.
Then it happened.
Without warning, the bald mage lashed out with a swift, ruthless kick.
WHAM!
Piggy was sent flying.
She tumbled across the ground, rolling limply before coming to a stop.
Yuno's thoughts screeched to a halt.
He barely processed what had just happened.
His only companion, his only friend, was lying motionless in the dirt.
Something inside him snapped.
The fear, the hesitation, it all vanished.
A wave of rage surged through his body.
Before he even realized what he was doing, his instincts took over.
A faint glow pulsed from his body.
[System Notification]
⚠️ Warning: Instinctive Skill Activated!
🌫 Spore Explosion triggered!]
A dense, light orange mist erupted from his cap, quickly spreading around him.
The bald mage coughed violently. "What the hell?!"
His companion took a step back, observing the mist with narrowed eyes. "This ability… I've seen it before."
Yuno didn't care.
All that mattered was Piggy.
As the mist thickened, he forced his exhausted body to move, pushing through the haze toward where she had fallen.
But just as he reached out for her.
CRACK.
A sudden sound split the air.
The earth trembled again.
And then.
The tree beside them moved.
The ground beneath Yuno vibrated, sending a cold shiver through his cap. His focus had been locked onto Piggy, but now, something else had claimed his attention.
CRACK.
The tree's roots twisted unnaturally, as if they were alive. Thick vines coiled around the ground, and the very air seemed to grow heavier.
"What is this…?" the bald mage muttered, stepping back slightly. His previous arrogance faltered as he observed the shifting terrain.
Yuno barely had time to react before the hooded mage's sharp voice cut through the tension.
"We need to leave. Now."
The urgency in his tone sent another jolt of fear through Yuno. If even these high-level mages were wary, then whatever was about to happen wasn't something he could handle.
But before the humans could retreat, a new problem arose.
Piggy, still trembling from the earlier attack, let out a furious squeal. Despite her injuries, she forced herself to her feet, her tiny legs shaking beneath her.
Then.
She charged.
Yuno's cap lifted slightly in shock.
"What are you doing?!"
His words were drowned out by the sound of her hooves pounding against the dirt.
The bald mage barely spared her a glance before raising his staff. A faint glow flickered around him.
And then he vanished.
Piggy's charge hit nothing but air. Her momentum carried her forward until.
BANG!
She crashed straight into a jagged stone, her small body rebounding off it before she tumbled to the ground once more.
Yuno felt a pang of panic. "Piggy!"
But before he could reach her.
CRACK.
This time, the sound came from above.
Yuno's gaze shot upward, just in time to see something horrifying.
The tree's thick, gnarled roots had curled around something solid.
A stone.
A massive one.
And now, it was spinning.
[System Notification]
⚠️ Warning: Hazard Detected!]
🌿 [Merry-Go-Vine] 🌿
🪨 The Merry-Go-Vine lives atop piles of rocks, slowly twisting its stem as it grows.
⚡ When it receives a shock from the environment, it unwinds and swings stones around as a defense mechanism.]
The hooded mage cursed under his breath. "Tch. We've triggered it."
The bald mage, who had reappeared a few feet away, narrowed his eyes. "You're saying this thing was… alive?"
The answer became clear in the next instant.
With a sudden release of tension, the massive stone shot forward. hurling through the air at terrifying speed.
BOOM!
It smashed into another tree, which then lurched into motion as well.
The realization struck Yuno like a lightning bolt.
It was a chain reaction.
One spinning stone had triggered another, and another.
And now, the entire area was coming alive.
Yuno's panic surged. He had to get out of here, fast.
But first.
He forced himself toward Piggy.
She was lying near the base of one of the living trees, still disoriented from her failed attack.
The ground was splitting apart around her.
If he didn't act now.
He didn't let himself think. He just moved.
His body surged forward, utilizing Charge to propel himself through the chaos.
Dodging flying debris, twisting roots, and incoming boulders, he launched himself toward Piggy.
Just as another rock came hurtling toward them.
He made it.
He braced himself, shielding her tiny body with his own.
WHAM!
The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, but Yuno gritted his teeth.
They were still alive.
But as he glanced up.
His cap stiffened.
The hooded mage was staring right at him.
"…That mushroom," the man muttered, eyes narrowing.
There was something strange in his gaze.
Not just curiosity.
But recognition.