The deeper the Nutrition Guardians ventured into the ancient forest, the more the world around them seemed to change.
Sunlight barely reached the ground beneath the towering canopy overhead.
The air grew heavy with moisture.
Massive roots twisted across the forest floor like giant serpents.
Wet leaves clung to their boots.
Insects hummed from every direction, while unfamiliar birds called to one another somewhere high above.
Yet beneath all those natural sounds...
something felt wrong.
As if the forest itself...
had become aware of their presence.
Arga led the group, though his pace was slower than usual.
His eyes never stopped scanning the shadows between the trees.
Every shifting silhouette.
Every subtle change in the sounds around them.
He wasn't afraid for himself.
He was afraid that one careless mistake...
could put everyone behind him in danger.
Bimo stepped awkwardly over another enormous root.
"All right," he muttered.
"This forest is seriously intense."
Dika chuckled.
"And we've barely begun."
Tono pointed toward an enormous tree beside the trail.
"Look at the size of that trunk."
It was so massive that even three adults linking arms probably couldn't wrap around it.
Its bark was covered in thick emerald moss.
Rani slowly turned in place, taking in the surroundings.
"It feels like we've stepped into another world."
Lila glanced at the tablet in her hands.
The energy readings continued to climb.
"The Core's signal is getting stronger."
Farhan checked the digital map on his handheld device.
"If we stay on this heading..."
"...we should reach the center of the resonance."
Kai walked quietly beside Arga.
Every now and then, a faint golden light shimmered within his eyes.
"This forest isn't peaceful," he said softly.
Arga looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Kai studied the towering trees around them.
"The energy here is affecting every living creature."
He paused.
Then lowered his gaze toward his own hands.
"Including us."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Too quiet.
Arga understood what Kai wasn't saying.
He wasn't talking about the forest.
He was talking about himself.
About the artificial body...
and the energy that had once controlled his life.
Arga looked at him.
"You're not the same person you were before."
Kai remained silent.
"I still carry the same energy," he admitted quietly.
"If this place can change animals..."
"...what if one day it changes me again?"
Arga stopped walking for a moment.
He knew that fear all too well.
The fear of becoming something beyond your own control.
He had felt it himself.
"You've changed," Arga said calmly.
"But this time...
because you chose to."
Kai met his eyes.
For the first time in a long while...
the golden light in his gaze no longer seemed cold.
Then—
CRACK.
A branch snapped somewhere deep inside the undergrowth.
Everyone froze.
Sinta immediately raised one hand.
"Quiet."
The entire team fell silent.
She stepped slightly ahead of the others, her posture perfectly steady as her sharp eyes swept across the forest.
Sinta always looked fearless.
Always certain of what to do.
But only Arga noticed one small detail—
her clenched fist had tightened harder than usual.
She was nervous too.
She was afraid.
She simply chose to stand in front of everyone else.
The forest fell silent again.
Only the wind whispered through the leaves.
Several tense seconds passed.
Then...
something moved inside the bushes.
Leaves rustled.
A deer slowly stepped into view.
Its body looked strong and healthy.
But what silenced everyone...
were its eyes.
They glowed with a soft golden light.
Bimo raised an eyebrow.
"Great."
"Now even the deer are glowing."
The animal watched them for several long seconds.
As if deciding whether they were friend...
or threat.
Then it quietly disappeared back into the forest.
Rani let out a slow breath.
"The Core's energy is definitely affecting the wildlife."
Farhan typed rapidly into his device.
"Nutritional Energy appears to be accelerating their metabolism."
Lila nodded.
"But if the concentration keeps increasing..."
"...they could become aggressive."
Bimo scratched the back of his head.
"I liked normal deer better."
The team continued forward.
The forest became denser.
Thin mist drifted between the ancient trees.
The sunlight nearly vanished.
Arga opened his MBG lunchbox.
Fifteen glowing rice grains pulsed softly inside.
But this time...
he noticed something different.
Instead of watching the light...
he saw his own reflection in the polished metal lid.
Just an ordinary teenager.
Yet the world kept demanding that he become something far greater.
He still wasn't sure he was ready.
But time never waited for anyone.
Kai glanced at the lunchbox.
"The energy is getting closer."
Arga nodded.
"Yeah."
A few minutes later...
they reached the edge of a wide river.
Its water was crystal clear.
But the current was swift.
The rushing water echoed through the forest.
Sinta checked Lila's tablet.
"This river leads toward the center of the forest."
Farhan compared it with the map.
"If we follow the current..."
"...we'll reach the Core much faster."
Bimo stared at the river.
"I seriously hope there aren't any glowing crocodiles."
Dika laughed.
"You've got way too much imagination."
Before anyone could answer—
GRRRRRR...
A deep rumble echoed through the trees.
Everyone turned instantly.
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
A flock of birds exploded into the sky.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"That's not the deer."
Sinta immediately stepped into a defensive stance.
"Front formation."
No one panicked.
No one shouted.
Yet every member of the team moved without hesitation.
That was why they trusted her.
She never led through fear.
She led through confidence.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the forest.
THUD.
THUD.
Nearby trees shook violently.
Branches snapped.
Then...
the creature emerged.
A bear.
But far larger than any normal bear.
Its body was packed with thick muscle.
Its claws were as long as knives.
And its eyes...
burned with brilliant golden light.
Wild energy radiated from every inch of its body.
Bimo swallowed hard.
"Okay..."
"...that's definitely not a normal bear."
Farhan stared at the readings.
"Its energy level is incredibly high."
Lila tightened her grip on the tablet.
"It must have lived close to the Core for a very long time."
The bear let out a deafening roar.
ROOOAAARRR!!
It rose onto its hind legs.
Towering above them.
Kai watched it quietly.
"It's not attacking because it's hungry."
Everyone looked at him.
"It's protecting something."
Arga felt it too.
The bear wasn't a monster.
It was simply defending its home.
And they...
were the intruders.
The realization settled heavily in his chest.
If every creature in this forest was only trying to protect what belonged to it...
then how were they any different from Dominion, who always came to take what wasn't theirs?
Sinta glanced toward Arga.
As though she had read his thoughts.
"We're not here to destroy this place," she said quietly.
"We're here to stop the wrong people from reaching it first."
Those simple words steadied his heart.
Arga took a slow breath.
Then closed his lunchbox.
The fifteen glowing rice grains continued shining softly inside.
He looked directly at the giant bear.
"I'll try to calm it down first."
Bimo blinked.
"Seriously?"
Arga didn't answer.
Because deep inside...
he had finally understood something.
True strength wasn't always about winning.
Sometimes...
it was about making sure no one had to fight.
Hidden among the trees, far beyond the team's sight, another pair of eyes watched them in silence.
Cold.
Patient.
Familiar.
The Dominion man in the hat slowly lowered his binoculars.
"Interesting," he murmured.
"The boy still chooses to save others."
He tapped the communicator in his ear.
"The target has been located."
A calm voice answered from the other end.
"Don't interfere."
The Dominion Leader smiled faintly.
"Let the forest test its Guardian."
At the riverbank, the giant bear roared once more.
And Arga realized...
this was only the first trial.
Far beyond the river...
deep beneath the roots of the ancient forest...
the Third Core pulsed once.
As if it had finally recognized...
the Guardian who had come to find it.