The city gates were never quiet.
Even before sunrise, the outer district buzzed with movement—caravans preparing to depart, mercenary squads assembling, and lone awakeners tightening straps and checking weapons. Beyond the massive reinforced walls lay the wilderness, where mana ran wild and beasts roamed without restraint.
Zael joined the line at the western gate.
A pair of armored guards stood beneath a glowing rune archway. Anyone passing through had to be verified.
"Awakener card," one guard said, holding out his hand.
Zael pulled his hood lower and presented the crystal card.
The rune arch flared once.
[Identity Verified: Registered Awakener]
The guard glanced at the faintly glowing surface. "First time heading out alone?"
Zael nodded.
"Then listen carefully," the man said, voice firm. "Stay within the fringe zone. Do not cross into the inner wilderness. Beasts above Level 50 roam there. If you see crystalline growths or red-marked stones, turn back immediately."
The second guard added, "And don't chase rare elites. They're not like normal beasts. Most of them survive multiple extinction cycles."
Zael inclined his head. "Understood."
The gate groaned open.
The moment he stepped beyond it, the air changed.
Inside the city, mana was filtered and stabilized by arrays beneath the streets. Outside, it moved freely—thick, raw, and heavy in the lungs. The road ahead was pale stone, but beyond it stretched rolling grasslands, jagged rock formations, and twisted trees warped by ambient mana.
This was the wilderness periphery.
The safest edge of danger.
Zael adjusted his cloak and activated his profession trait.
[Strategic Marking — Active]
The world transformed.
Thin blue lines traced muscle and bone. Faint gold points pulsed at joints, arteries, and weak structural seams. Even insects glowed with simplified outlines.
He moved forward.
---
The grass rustled.
Three shadows burst from the brush.
Lean bodies, curved black horns, wet fangs glinting.
Horned Fangwolves — Levels 14, 15, 16
They didn't rush blindly.
Two spread wide while the largest held center.
Zael slowed his breathing.
Red markings lit up along their hind tendons.
The left wolf lunged.
Zael stepped into its attack and drove his blade upward.
The sword slid cleanly between vertebrae.
The wolf collapsed mid-leap.
The second attacked from behind.
Zael pivoted and slashed across its muzzle, severing one horn and blinding it with blood.
It still lunged.
He ducked under its body and stabbed into the glowing rib gap.
The heart ruptured.
The last wolf hesitated.
That pause killed it.
Zael sprinted forward and plunged steel into its skull.
Silence returned.
A faint shimmer appeared near the first corpse.
> Fangwolf Horn (common)
Weapon Reinforcement Material
Zael stored it.
---
The ground trembled.
A massive boar charged from behind a boulder, hide layered in crude stone plates.
Rockhide Boar — Level 26
It hit a rock and shattered it.
Zael dodged as it turned and charged again.
Too fast.
He activated Foresight Frame.
The world fractured into overlapping afterimages.
He saw the tusks rise before they moved.
He dove beneath its body and slashed upward.
The blade scraped stone.
Barely pierced flesh.
The boar screamed and smashed him sideways.
Pain burst through his ribs.
It charged again.
Zael sprinted toward it and slid beneath its neck, driving his blade into the glowing seam beneath its jaw.
The boar convulsed and collapsed.
No item glow.
Only meat and hide.
Zael harvested tusks and a slab of plated skin.
---
Third Battle — Venom Spine Lizard
Near a ravine, something hissed.
A reptilian beast rose from the rocks, its back lined with glowing green spines.
Venom Spine Lizard — Level 33
It spat acid.
Zael leapt sideways.
The spray ate through stone.
He rushed forward.
The gold line pulsed beneath its jaw.
The lizard lunged.
Zael slid under its bite and drove his blade upward.
It convulsed and fell still.
A glow appeared.
> Venom Gland (Rare)
Alchemy Material
Zael stored it carefully.
---
Hours passed.
Then the roar came.
Too close.
---
The earth shook violently.
A massive bear burst from behind a ridge, limbs plated with stone and crystalline growths.
Stoneclaw Bear — Level 44 (Rare Elite)
His faced paled..
Before Zael could react, it slammed into him.
He was thrown into a rock wall.
Air left his lungs.
The bear reared up.
Zael activated Foresight Frame through pain.
He saw the claw descend.
He rolled.
The paw pulverized stone.
He scrambled up and ran.
The bear charged.
It clipped his leg.
Blood sprayed.
Zael slashed at its leg.
Steel barely scratched the stone plating.
It roared and raised both claws.
Zael didn't fight.
He ran.
Trees shattered behind him.
Branches tore his cloak.
The bear followed until—
The sound changed.
Metallic screeches.
Battle.
The bear veered away.
Zael collapsed behind a boulder, gasping.
"…Rare elite…"
No wonder.
He looked toward the noise.
And followed it.
---
Valley of Iron
The land dipped into a wide valley.
Iron-plated corpses littered the ground.
Ironhide Ravagers — Levels 10--50
In the center fought a hooded figure.
The figure was clad in a red glowing one piece armor that seemed like flames were running through it with a black cloak on it that hid the person's figure hiding the gender. Any ravager under level 25 died in one hit or at most two, but there were at least a dozen above level 30 and with a level 50 boss in the shadows, the figures predicament looked precarious.
Zael crouched low at the edge of the valley, the plan was to wait until the figure left before completing his task. He was not so keen on exposing himself in front of a stranger.
Then the ground shook.
A larger beast emerged.
Layered steel hide.
Towering horns.
Ironhide Ravager Boss — Level 50 (Common Beast, class change imminent)
It charged.
Zael's face paled. This wasn't supposed to be possible. According to Intel the boss never attacked until it was left with only thirty percent of it's clansmen. He was banking on the fact that the figure knew his or her limit and would not let it get to that point except it could match it.
The hooded figure dodged too slowly.
The horn pierced their side.
They crashed to the ground blood pooling at the side as the beast advanced menacingly as the other beasts surrounded the figure.
Zael hesitated and then sighed, he couldn't let someone die on his watch when he could save the person.
He pulled up his hood.
Fastened his half-mask.
And stepped forward.
---
Activating his skill lines flooded his vision.
Gold seams formed along its neck and spine.
It charged.
Zael ran straight toward it.
At the last second, he slid beneath its horn.
Its momentum carried it forward.
Zael drove his blade into the seam between its plates.
The Ravager shrieked and slammed him away with its tail.
He rolled, rose, and activated Foresight Frame.
He saw its next charge.
Sidestepped.
Slashed the tendon behind its leg.
The beast collapsed.
Zael climbed its back and drove his blade into the glowing spinal point.
It convulsed and went still.
A glow shimmered.
> Ironhide Core Plate (Uncommon Material)
> Skill book (Rare) (Identification needed)
Zael stored it, looked ahead and had a sound of someone running and a fearful pressure approaching so he turned and vanished into the trees.
As soon as he left an armored figure crashed out of the forest.
"Mistress" the figure shouted at the hooded person who was now resting on a broken tree stump trying to slow the bleeding.
The hood fell from the figure revealing a white haired fair girl, she had blue eyes that seemed to mirror Zael's except for the gold tints in them.
"What happened",The armored figure asked as he bandaged her wound.
"I found him", she muttered ignoring the question.
"Huh... who?",the armored man asked.
"Let's return, we're done here", she replied getting up as a pair of white wings sprouted from her back and lifted her up.
---
By dusk, Zael was heading back toward the city.
His body ached.
But his pouch was heavy.
And his proof was complete.
The wilderness swallowed his trail.
---