After two days of trekking through the dense forest, exhaustion had begun to creep into their bodies. The towering trees blocked out the sun, leaving them in a state of perpetual twilight, while the air was thick with the scent of moss and damp soil. The sounds of insects and birds filled the surroundings, yet there was no true sense of safety. The forest felt alive, as if it were watching them in silence.
"How much further?" Darius asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Adam, walking ahead of him, sighed. "According to the survivor, there's a waterfall in this area. It should be close."
Darius wasn't entirely convinced, but he had no choice but to keep moving. The only information they had managed to get from the survivor was that this waterfall was the closest safe place and a source of clean water in this part of the forest.
And sure enough, it wasn't long before they heard the distant rush of water. Their pulses quickened, and soon, they arrived at the spot.
What lay before them was a breathtaking scene: a massive waterfall cascading down from the towering rocks, forming a pristine blue lake surrounded by thick trees, with a faint rainbow shimmering where the water met the sunlight. The place seemed unnaturally peaceful.
"My god… I never expected to find something like this here," Darius murmured in awe.
"Yeah… It's like another world," Adam said with a smile as he sat down on an old fallen tree trunk, finally allowing himself to relax.
Darius wasted no time. He removed his tattered shirt and walked toward the water, letting the coolness wash over his tired body. For a moment, he felt as if all the pain and suffering he had endured had vanished.
But he wasn't alone in the water.
In the middle of the lake, beneath the calm surface, something was watching him in silence. Its glowing eyes barely visible beneath the rippling reflections. It had been waiting patiently, its body camouflaged with the water as though it were part of it. It had remained there for hours, observing its prey as they drew closer and closer.
Then… it struck.
"DARIUS! MOVE!"
There was no time to question. Suddenly, the water erupted as a massive creature surged upward at terrifying speed. It resembled a giant fish, but its body was covered in slick, black scales, and its front limbs had transformed into razor-sharp claws. Its large, glowing blue eyes burned with a menacing light, and its mouth, lined with rows of sharp teeth, gaped wide open.
"Shit! It's an Iron-Rank aquatic beast!" Adam shouted, instantly drawing his dagger.
Darius barely managed to dodge the first attack, but the creature was incredibly fast. Before he could even regain his balance, he felt its claws tear through his flesh, sending a wave of searing pain through his body. Blood mixed with the water, staining it a deep crimson.
In their world, beasts were classified according to their strength:
Bronze Rank – The weakest, even children could handle them.
Copper Rank – Weak but required some caution.
Iron Rank – The start of real danger.
Steel Rank – Required skilled warriors to defeat.
Silver Rank – Rare and demanded significant expertise to fight.
Gold Rank – A deadly threat, even for strong groups.
Diamond Rank – Facing one meant standing on the brink of death.
Legendary and Mythic Ranks – Beasts said to possess power rivaling that of gods.
But within each rank, there were further subdivisions: Low, High, and Peak Rank.
Fortunately for them, this beast wasn't at the peak… but it was still deadly.
"It's too fast!" Darius gritted his teeth as he stumbled onto the shore, pressing a hand to his bleeding wound.
Adam didn't hesitate. He quickly leaped onto a nearby rock and hurled his dagger at the creature's eye. But the beast was alert—it shifted at the last moment, causing the blade to deflect harmlessly off its tough scales.
"Damn… its hide is too hard!"
The beast roared and lunged onto land, its massive body shaking the ground as it slithered toward Darius with terrifying speed.
But Darius was ready. He gripped his sword tightly, and as the creature lunged, he ducked at the last second and slashed toward its neck, where the scales were thinnest.
The blade cut through flesh, and dark blood spurted out, but the beast did not fall.
Instead, it went berserk.
"Shit! That wasn't enough!"
Seeing the worsening situation, Adam seized the opportunity and leaped from above, wielding a small sword this time. With precise aim, he drove the blade into the beast's left eye, unleashing a horrifying screech that echoed through the trees.
The monster convulsed violently, smashing the surrounding rocks with its massive body. Darius didn't hesitate—he drove his sword into its throat again, this time with both hands.
The beast let out one last, weak hiss… then went still.
Silence fell over the area, broken only by their ragged breaths and the sound of water returning to its calm state.
Adam collapsed onto his knees and let out a shaky laugh. "Damn… we almost died."
Darius, trying to catch his breath, stared at the massive corpse before them and said, "We need to make use of this. Its meat is edible, and its bones could be useful."
Adam nodded, then smirked. "Lucky for us it wasn't magical monster.even If it had a core to sell, we wouldn't have made it out alive to even think about it! Hahaha!"
But I never imagined that a monster of such iron rank would be present at the edge of the forest. I can't imagine what we might encounter if we went deeper into the forest.
But Darius wasn't listening. His eyes were fixed on the dense trees behind Adam, where he saw a shadowy figure lurking among the branches.
A person… or something else?
He blinked—and the figure was gone.