Arista watched the lifeless goblin for a moment before turning away.
"Come on," she said calmly. "Let's go deeper."
Azael nodded and followed her.
The forest gradually became thicker as they moved further inside. The trees grew taller, their branches forming a dense canopy overhead. Sunlight barely reached the ground now, leaving the forest floor covered in shadows.
The air also felt different. It was becoming heavier as they walked inside. Maybe it was more alive.
Arista walked ahead, her eyes carefully scanning the surroundings. She was clearly more experienced in sensing danger.
After walking for several minutes, she suddenly raised her hand. She was giving silent signal.
Azael immediately stopped walking.
Arista narrowed her violet eyes slightly as she focused on something ahead. She could sense something ahead.
"I can sense monsters," she whispered quietly.
Azael stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. "How many?"
Arista closed her eyes briefly, focusing on the faint presence. Then she opened them. "Three of them. I don't think they are high level monster. Just low rankng. Maybe F rank monster."
She slowly moved forward, gesturing for Azael to follow carefully.
Both of them crouched slightly as they moved through the bushes, making as little noise as possible.
Soon, they reached a small clearing. Arista stopped behind a thick tree trunk and peeked forward.
Azael looked from beside her. There they were. Three wolf-type monsters resting on the ground.
Their bodies were larger than normal wolves, covered in dark gray fur. Their claws were long and sharp, and their eyes glowed faintly with a predatory light.
They looked far more dangerous than the goblin. Arista folded her arms and looked at Azael.
Her lips curved slightly. "Your turn again. Go and kill them. They are slightly stronger than goblins"
Azael nodded calmly.
He stepped out from behind the tree and slowly began walking toward the monsters.
The three wolves were sitting lazily on the ground. But soon their noses twitched. They smelled something was near them.
All three monsters slowly stood up, their sharp eyes locking onto Azael.
Low growls escaped their throats.
Growl!
'Okay lets kill them." His eyes narrowed. Azael didn't stop.
Then suddenly he kicked off the ground and dashed forward.
The distance between them vanished instantly.
His sword flashed. His movements as always clean and precise. Without any waste movements.
The first wolf lunged toward him, its claws aiming for his chest. But Azael twisted his body slightly and avoided the attack.
In the same motion, his sword moved.
Clang!
Mana surged into the blade.
A blue line appeared in mid air. The sword cut through the wolf's neck with brutal force.
The monster collapsed instantly. But the other two wolves were already attacking. One leaped toward his back while the other charged from the front.
Azael's eyes sharpened. 'Another one?' His sword moved again, now reinforced with mana.
The blade glowed faintly as it cut through the air.
Slash!
The second wolf tried to bite his arm, but the sword sliced across its body before it could reach him.
The blade cut deep through its chest.
Splash.
Blood splattered.
A wide smile formed on Azael's face.
The wolf crashed onto the ground with a painful howl before going silent.
Only one monster remained.The final wolf circled him cautiously now, its body tense. Then it suddenly lunged forward with full force.
Azael stepped back slightly and raised his free hand. Mana surged through his body from core.
"Let's try this fire!"
A familiar red-golden fire ignited in his palm. The wolf was already mid-air when the flames burst forward.
The fire struck the monster directly. The red-gold flames burned fiercely, engulfing its body instantly.
A horrible howl echoed through the forest as the monster crashed onto the ground. The flames continued burning for a few seconds before slowly fading away.
When the fire disappeared, the wolf's body lay motionless. It burned completely. Azael lowered his hand calmly.
Three monsters were dead. All by him very easily.
Behind him, Arista watched the entire fight. A satisfied smile slowly appeared on her face.
"That's amazing Azael." She walked toward gems and then stroked his head. Making more mess of his already messy hair.
"Okay that's enough!" Azael said with small smile.
"Haha! Okay" she pulled back her hand.
"So what do you say...want to hunt some more monster? Or fighting so little made you tired?"
"Of course. Let's hunt more. And I am not tired by this small fight."
"That's the spirit. Follow me."
---
Deep inside the forest, another figure was moving swiftly between the trees.
The man wore a dark hooded outfit that covered most of his body. The hood was pulled low over his head, hiding his face completely beneath the shadows. Only his hurried breathing could be heard as he ran through the forest.
Branches brushed past him while dry leaves crunched under his boots.
Despite the uneven ground and thick roots spread across the forest floor, the man didn't slow down even for a moment.
He was clearly in a hurry. As if he was in some big problme. And need to run away to safe place as soon as possible.
His head turned occasionally as if checking his surroundings, making sure no one was following him.
Then he muttered in a low, tense voice.
"I need to reach base and inform this to the leader as fast as possible."
His pace became even faster. "If we don't speed up the plan… we might be in big trouble."
His voice carried a sense of urgency. As if big danger might be falling upon him.
The man continued running deeper into the forest, disappearing between the tall trees.
At that moment, the unknown man was still quite far away from Azael and Arista.
Who was he? Why was he in hurry? Where he was going? No idea.
However he was running in the same direction where they were. At the speed the man was running. They might run into each other.