Chapter 112 - 111: The Next Level

Chapter 112: Chapter 111: The Next Level

By the time the sun had climbed higher, the group had already killed more monsters than they had counted.

The forest around Velaris was beginning to feel different.

Not safer.

They had learned better than to confuse familiarity with safety.

But they were no longer stumbling through every encounter. They had fought enough monsters now to recognize patterns, understand when to press an advantage, and, more importantly, know when to retreat.

Another creature came crashing through the trees.

Iris Appraised it.

"Level two."

Caleb raised his weapon.

"Mine."

He rushed forward before anyone could argue.

The creature swung at him, but Caleb ducked beneath the attack and struck its side. It stumbled. He followed with another blow, then stepped back as Benjamin came in from the opposite direction.

Benjamin’s attack connected.

The creature collapsed.

A familiar notification appeared.

[Level 2 Monster eliminated.]

[EXP acquired.]

Caleb stared at the notification for a moment before grinning.

"I think I’m close."

Benjamin wiped the dirt from his glasses.

"Close to what?"

"Level three."

That got everyone’s attention.

Caleb looked around.

"I checked earlier. I’m almost there."

"You’ve been checking your status during fights?" Veronica asked.

"Only when I have the chance."

"You’re going to get yourself killed looking at a screen in the middle of a battle."

"I wasn’t doing it in the middle of a battle."

Benjamin gave him a look.

"Mostly."

Veronica sighed.

Henry chuckled.

Iris opened her own status.

She had gained a noticeable amount of EXP since they started hunting.

Level 4.

She was already much closer to Level 5 than she had been before they began.

She closed the panel.

"How much do you need?" Iris asked Caleb.

"A little more."

"Then keep hunting."

"That was the plan."

They continued through the forest.

A short while later, another monster appeared.

This one was smaller, but faster. Claire intercepted it before it could reach Veronica. The creature twisted around her weapon and snapped at her arm.

She pulled back just in time.

Evelina struck it from the side.

It staggered.

Claire finished it.

[Level 2 Monster eliminated.]

[EXP acquired.]

Claire glanced at her status.

"I’m getting close too."

"Everyone is," Marcus said.

That made the conversation shift naturally.

Jin Taejin looked at his own status.

"I’m Level 3."

Li Wei nodded.

"So am I."

Marcus gave a small smile.

"Same."

Victor remained quiet.

Evelina glanced at him.

"Level 3?"

He nodded.

"Level 3."

Daniel lifted a hand.

"Level 2."

Priscilla looked at him.

"Same."

Elias scratched the side of his face.

"Level 2 for me."

Benjamin adjusted his glasses.

"Level 2."

Caleb pointed at him.

"Almost three?"

"Getting there."

Henry checked his own status.

"Level 2."

Veronica looked down at hers.

"Level 1."

Caleb blinked.

"You’re still Level 1?"

Veronica gave him an unimpressed look.

"Yes."

"You’ve fought monsters with us."

"Not nearly as many as you."

"That is true."

Veronica folded her arms.

"I’ve contributed."

"No one said you didn’t."

Iris glanced at her mother’s status.

The amount required for her next level was not particularly high.

Veronica had simply not gained as much EXP because she had spent more time protecting others and assisting during fights instead of securing kills herself.

"You’re closer than you think," Iris said.

Veronica looked at her.

"Really?"

Iris nodded.

"With a few more kills, you should be able to reach Level 2."

A smile appeared on Veronica’s face.

"Then I suppose I need a few more."

Henry laughed quietly.

"That sounded dangerous."

"It was not."

They moved on.

The next fight was messier.

Two Level two monsters attacked from opposite directions, forcing the group to split their attention. Jin Taejin killed one after a brief struggle while Li Wei dealt with the second.

[Level 2 Monster eliminated.]

[EXP acquired.]

[Level 2 Monster eliminated.]

[EXP acquired.]

Jin Taejin checked his status.

"I’m getting close to Level 4."

Marcus looked over.

"Same."

Li Wei nodded.

"We’ve been fighting for hours."

"And we’re still only talking about being close," Caleb said.

"That is how leveling works."

"I know."

Caleb sighed dramatically.

"Still disappointing."

Another monster charged.

This time, Henry and Veronica fought together.

The creature lunged.

Henry drew its attention while Veronica moved around its side. She struck once, then again. The creature stumbled.

Henry finished it.

Veronica looked at him.

"You stole my kill."

"You were too slow."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Next one is mine."

Henry smiled.

"Deal."

They did not have to wait long.

A Level two creature emerged from the trees.

Veronica stepped forward.

This time, she didn’t hesitate.

She avoided its first attack, struck its leg, then drove her weapon into its side when it stumbled.

The monster fell.

[Level 2 Monster eliminated.]

[EXP acquired.]

Veronica froze.

Then her eyes widened.

"I leveled up."

Caleb immediately turned toward her.

"Seriously?"

She nodded.

A smile spread across her face.

"Level 2."

Henry looked genuinely pleased.

"Congratulations."

Veronica looked at her status again.

"It feels strange."

"You’ll get used to it," Iris said.

Caleb pointed at her.

"Now you’re officially catching up to me."

"Not quite."

"Give me a little time."

The group laughed.

For the first time, the numbers on their status screens felt less like distant measurements and more like something they could actively change.

They had entered the forest because they needed to become stronger.

Now they could see the result.

Iris glanced toward the others.

The Level 3 bodyguards were nearing Level 4.

The Level 2 fighters were approaching Level 3.

Veronica had finally reached Level 2.

And Iris herself was steadily moving toward Level 5.

They were progressing.

But the forest still had plenty left to throw at them.

They spent another stretch of time hunting before stopping to rest briefly. The fights came in uneven bursts, sometimes separated by several quiet minutes and sometimes arriving almost back to back. By then, nobody was keeping track of individual kills anymore. What mattered was the steady rise in their EXP and the growing confidence that came with it.

A distant noise caught Snow’s attention.

The white dog stopped walking.

Dog stopped too.

Everyone became alert.

"Another monster?" Caleb whispered.

Iris looked ahead.

"No."

Figures were moving between the trees.

At first, she thought they were another hunting group from Velaris.

Then she saw how they were walking.

Slowly.

Unevenly.

Some were supporting others.

One person stumbled and was caught by the person beside them.

They weren’t hunting.

They were surviving.

The group emerged from the trees.

There were several dozen people.

Their condition immediately told its own story.

Clothes were torn and stained. Dried blood covered some faces and sleeves. Patches of mud had hardened across their legs and shoes. Several people carried makeshift weapons. Others carried bags that looked almost empty.

One woman had her arm wrapped around the shoulders of an exhausted man.

A child clung tightly to another person’s clothing.

Nobody looked like they had slept properly in days.

Caleb lowered his weapon.

"What happened to them?"

Iris didn’t answer immediately.

The strangers stopped when they saw the group.

Fear passed through their faces.

One man raised a crude blade.

"Don’t come any closer."

Henry slowly lowered his weapon.

"We’re not going to hurt you."

The man’s grip remained tight.

"Are you from Velaris?"

"Yes," Henry said.

The man stared at him.

Then at the others.

Then past them, toward the direction of the wall.

"Velaris..."

The word came out almost like he wasn’t sure it was real.

Iris stepped forward carefully.

"You’ve been looking for it?"

The man swallowed.

"We were following something."

"A beacon?"

His expression changed.

"Yes."

Iris exchanged a brief glance with Henry.

The beacon.

The one that had drawn survivors toward Velaris.

The one that had eventually been deactivated.

The man lowered his weapon slightly.

"We saw the light in the distance. There were more of us then."

His voice became quieter.

"Much more."

Nobody interrupted him.

"We followed it until it disappeared."

He looked back at the forest.

"After that, we got lost."

The group stood silently.

"How long?" Henry asked.

"Two days."

Caleb’s expression changed.

"Two days in there?"

The man nodded.

"We didn’t know which plants were safe. We didn’t know which paths led somewhere and which ones led straight into monster territory."

Another survivor spoke from behind him.

"My brother ate something he thought was fruit."

She looked down.

"He got sick that night."

No one asked what happened next.

They could guess.

The survivors had not simply walked through Eldilon Forest.

They had fought their way through it.

And somewhere behind them, more people might still be trying to find their way out.

Iris looked toward the trees.

For a moment, the forest seemed much larger than it had before.

Then she looked back at the exhausted survivors.

"Come with us."

The man stared at her.

"Where?"

Iris pointed toward Velaris.

"Home."

*~*

A/N:

Thank you for your patience while I was away! I’m finally back to updating, and I hope you’ll enjoy the Chapters ahead. ??