The morning mist clung to the towering trees as our squad advanced toward the Grade 2 forest. The air was thicker here, heavy with the scent of damp earth and the distant cries of beasts. Unlike the controlled chaos of the basic-tier forest, this area was unpredictable, dangerous, and teeming with creatures far stronger than anything the recruits had faced.
I surveyed the squad. The twenty-eight men were tense but ready, swords and spears in hand, mana threads flickering from those who had been trained in spatial and elemental magic. Alex and I flanked the formation, moving silently, our senses attuned to every shift in the forest.
"This is not a test," I said quietly to the squad. "Every beast here can kill. Stay in formation, trust your training, and trust your brothers beside you. Hesitation will cost you dearly."
Alex nodded, voice calm. "Remember, control is key. Don't waste your mana. Use strategy over brute force. Every strike should count, every movement calculated."
From the shadows ahead, a charging armor-piercing rhino emerged, larger and faster than any normal bull. Its horn gleamed with a deadly edge, muscles rippling under thick, plated skin.
"Positions!" I shouted. The squad immediately formed a spear wall. The rhino barreled forward with terrifying speed, smashing through the underbrush.
The first ranks staggered under the impact, shields splintering, but Alex bent space subtly, redirecting the rhino's momentum just enough to prevent a catastrophic breach. I pivoted, slashing my sword across its flank, mana flaring like fire, but the beast barely flinched.
One soldier, Gao Wei, stumbled backward, nearly caught under the rhino's charging legs. I lunged, intercepting it with a shield infused with controlled mana, pushing him out of harm's way.
The fight escalated. The rhino slammed repeatedly into our lines, forcing the squad to constantly shift formation. Spearmen struck at exposed legs, fire users scorched the thick hide, and spatial manipulators twisted space to create openings.
But even with coordination, the rhino was relentless. It pinned two soldiers against a tree, their screams echoing through the forest. I felt a surge of desperation — Alex's mana was already strained from maintaining spatial distortions.
Suddenly, the rhino lunged toward Alex. Reflexively, I drew all my mana into my core and released it in a focused blast, knocking the beast back momentarily and giving Alex a chance to leap clear. It was enough, but the strain left me gasping, sweat and blood mingling as I staggered.
Alex's face was pale but determined. "We can do this," he said, unleashing his own healing mana in controlled pulses to mend minor injuries in the squad. The sudden surge of energy steadied us all, and the soldiers regrouped quickly.
We combined our attacks — flanking strikes, fire and mana bursts, and spatial distortions — gradually wearing down the rhino. After a tense, nerve-wracking series of blows, I drove my sword deep into its chest as Alex bent space to immobilize it momentarily. The beast let out a final roar before collapsing.
Breathing heavily, I looked around. Several soldiers had cuts and bruises, some were bleeding, but no one had died. The forest had tested their skills, teamwork, and composure under pressure, and they had survived.
"Excellent," I said, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Today was more than a fight. You learned to trust your training, each other, and yourselves. This is the difference between surviving and being slaughtered in the wild."
Alex nodded, surveying the forest. "And tomorrow, we go deeper. Intermediate beasts don't fight alone, and we'll face packs, ambushes, and creatures with unexpected abilities. Keep this victory in mind — it's proof that we can handle it."
As the squad set up a temporary camp, tending wounds and reinforcing their mana, I felt a sense of pride. They had grown in hours what would normally take weeks. And while the forest had been merciless, it had forged bonds that would be unbreakable in the battles ahead.
The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the trees in shadows. The forest whispered around us, alive with unseen eyes and lurking predators. But we were ready — for the first time, the squad felt like a single, cohesive unit, capable of taking on whatever challenges the wilds of the Qin Empire could throw at them.