It had been five days since our journey began from Samhar, the town where I was born. Now, with the capital only four days away, we stood one day short of the infamous Syler Forest also known as the Death Forest.

‘I should check the route to the beast’s egg,’ I thought.

Closing my eyes, I steadied my breathing and focused. Slowly, the image of the hidden cave reformed in my mind, the twisted path, the rocky slope, the overhanging moss near the entrance. It all came rushing back like a memory like I’d lived a thousand times and went there countless times. Even when I opened my eyes again, I could feel it... the path, the direction, and the presence. As if I had walked it before.

‘So the egg is in the heart of the forest… Near the center.’ I clenched my fists slightly. ‘I’ll go when I become stronger. Not now. It's not the right time to go there.’

That evening, we stopped short of the forest's edge. No one said it aloud, but we all knew the risks. The Death Forest was not a place you crossed without caution, let alone at night. We camped early, resting under a clouded sky that matched the tense silence around our fire.

By dawn, preparations began. Everyone geared up, not like travelers, but like hunters entering a war zone. Weapons were checked, armor tightened, and expressions sharpened. They all become serious like their life depends.

I thought, 'How Liam had crossed this forest alone. Whatever that's Swordmaster for you'

Dad, strapping on his sword, gave me a reassuring nod. “Don’t worry, Rayon. We only need to pass through the outer edge. It’s rare for even low-rank monsters to show up here.”

Yet even his voice, usually unwavering, carried a subtle tremor. My father, the strongest member of the Thunderstorm Party, feared this place.

I swallowed. 'If the ‘safest’ part of this forest makes A-rank adventurers uneasy… how terrifying must the deeper layers be?'

We boarded the carriage in silence. The forest loomed ahead, a wall of towering trees reaching two hundred meters or more into the sky. They clustered so tightly together they looked like living mountains cloaked in green.

As we entered, the light faded. Sunbeams barely pierced through the thick canopy. Darkness seeped into the carriage like water through cracks, growing heavier with each meter we traveled.

Oliva, sitting near the front, spoke with a grim look. “It sure lives up to its name… Death Forest.”

The party tried to lighten the mood, making forced jokes and half-hearted chuckles, but the tension didn’t lift. We all felt it: the silence in the forest instead of the sound of beasts' growling… the air was too still.

Then, a low, guttural roar tore through the woods.

Everyone froze at once.

They took their weapons in an instant, instincts honed by years of adventuring. But just as suddenly as it began, the roar faded into silence again. It had come from deep within the forest.

Mom looked out the window with narrowed eyes. “We just entered the forest. Why would a beasts' roar be this loud to the edge?”

Dad’s tone darkened. “It’s too early for something like this. Stay quiet everyone. We move fast and get out quickly.”

We pressed on. No one dared speak. The further we went, the more unnatural the forest felt, like it was swallowing sound itself. Then another roar came again. This time, not one… but many. Layers of monstrous howls echoing from the distance.

Suddenly, a creature darted out onto the path ahead.

It resembled a fox, but it had two tails, and its fur shimmered with faint crimson light. Panic filled its eyes. It wasn’t charging us; it was fleeing.

“A sign,” Dad muttered. “Something stronger is chasing it.”

Velcor leapt from the carriage without hesitation, his longsword slicing through the beast's middle-run. With a grin, he returned and said, “Relax. It’s just a stray low-level monster.”

Dad didn’t share the sentiment. “This isn’t normal. Last time, we had to go deep into the forest to find anything. Now they’re fleeing to the edge.” His gaze sharpened. “I can sense them, C-rank, maybe even B-rank beasts, nearby.”

The party grew quiet. Even Julie stopped joking. Mom wrapped her arms around me protectively. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’re all strong. Even A-rank beasts won’t stand a chance. This must just be one C-rank pushing others outward.”

Everyone nodded, but the color had drained slightly from their faces.

‘They’re hiding something,’ I thought, watching them closely. 'Are they afraid of something stronger? Something above A-rank?'

Moments later, I felt it too, a sudden, crushing pressure in the air. Thick, heavy… as if the atmosphere itself had changed.

“Faster,” Dad ordered in a loud voice.

Velcor gritted his teeth. “We’re at full speed. The movbeasts are already strained. We can't speedup more than this”

The pressure grew stronger by the second. Something powerful was closing in. Now I could also feel it.

“Stop the carriage! Now there's not any point for us to run. We have to kill it in order to continue our journey further.” Dad suddenly barked.

Velcor struggled with the reins. The movbeasts were terrified, wild-eyed and frothing, nearly bolting from their tracks. Finally, they skidded to a stop.

Then a loud roar came.

This one was nothing like any of before.

It was deafening, so powerful the entire carriage shook, lurching forward under the pressure of the sound alone. Flying small beasts fled the treetops. Leaves rained from branches. My heart pounded like war drums.

Then... a figure emerged.

A colossal creature, fifty meters long, stepped into the path ahead.

Its body was an unnatural fusion, part quadruped, part humanoid, part nightmare. Two massive heads sat atop its thick necks, each bearing elongated snouts dripping with saliva. One of the heads of that beast moved in opposite directions to scan its surroundings.

Its upper limbs ended in dagger-sized claws, pulsing with raw aura. Each step it took cracked the ground beneath. Its dark, armored hide shimmered faintly with blood-red light. A predator of high S-rank.

No one moved from where they were.

No one has guts enough to even flinch before it.

We stared, frozen in place, as the beast let out a slow, guttural growl. It didn’t charge. It just watched and waited for something.

For a moment, time stood still.

I gripped my dagger tighter, my breath shallow. ‘That thing… that’s not a normal beast.’

Even the fearless Thunderstorm Party had fallen silent.

The Death Forest had revealed its first nightmare before us.