Chapter 75 | Following the Party, The Woodlands

The morning sun cast long shadows across the base as Edwin’s group gathered at the eastern gate.

Their equipment was checked, their supplies were secured, and they were ready to head into the unknown territory beyond the safety of the walls.

Edwin stood at the front, his shield glowing with a faint protective light, his sword resting at his hip.

Beside him stood Daan, the Paladin, his holy blade humming with divine energy.

Levi, the Dawn Archer, adjusted his bowstring, his eyes scanning the treeline with sharp precision.

Alex, the Bone Wielder, cracked his knuckles, the skeletal fragments embedded in his armor shifting and rattling with anticipation.

As for Mia, she remained still, simply glancing at her blade.

They were also accompanied by around a dozen veterans, though they didn’t do much for awhile.

The monsters that roamed the outskirts of the base were nothing compared to the quator’s combined strength.

Their coordinated attacks made short work of anything that dared approach them, their confidence growing with each victory.

Their movements were fluid and practiced, as if they had been fighting together their entire lives.

"Good, keep fighting like this, while also following the plan, and we’ll get rid of the Wendigo in no time," Edwin said, watching his companions dispatch a small pack of lesser monsters that had crossed their path.

Daan’s blade carved through the monsters with surgical precision, each strike finding its mark without wasted movement.

Levi’s arrows flew, each one finding an eye or throat before the monsters could even react, their bodies collapsing mid-charge.

Alex raised his hand, and from the ground beneath the fallen monsters, skeletal hands erupted, pulling the corpses down into the earth.

"At this rate, we’ll reach the Woodlands within the hour," Alex said, wiping his hands clean, a satisfied smirk on his face. "If the Wendigo is anywhere near there, we’ll find it and put an end to it."

Edwin didn’t bother reacting at their confidence, his eyes fixed ahead.

The shadows of the Woodlands loomed in the distance like a wall of darkness.

And then, as if crossing an invisible threshold, the atmosphere shifted the moment they entered the Woodlands.

The air grew thick and heavy, the sounds of the forest fading into an oppressive silence that pressed in from all sides.

The light dimmed as the canopy closed in above them, casting the entire area into a murky twilight.

Within the first few minutes of their entry, a group of level 23 monsters emerged from the beyond.

Their forms were larger and more aggressive than anything they had faced so far, their eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger that made even Edwin pause.

Their claws raked against the earth as they circled the group, their growls echoing through the trees.

Edwin raised his shield, the protective aura flaring as he braced for the assault.

The monsters closed in from all sides, their roars filling the air as they prepared to strike, their numbers greater than the group had anticipated.

...

Meanwhile, slightly behind the main group, Alicar and Leon moved forward.

They kept a careful distance from Edwin and his team, their movements cautious as they navigated the treacherous terrain of the Woodlands.

"Are you sure?" Leon whispered, his voice barely audible over the sounds of battle ahead.

His eyes darted nervously through the trees, his hand ready to throw a punch at any given moment, "What if they see us?"

"We’ll just say we’re exploring this place as well, who cares," Alicar replied calmly, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "What are they gonna do about it?"

Alicar mainly didn’t want to be discovered by the trio, at least no yet.

Them not knowing that he could access the Eternal Realm was an advantage he didn’t wish to reveal.

They continued through the forest, keeping to the shadows and moving carefully to avoid detection.

The sounds of Edwin’s group grew fainter as they pressed deeper into the Woodlands.

Since they weren’t part of Edwin’s group, they usually weren’t allowed to be this close to the main party.

But Alicar had decided it was worth the risk to follow the Wendigo’s hunt from a better vantage point.

The forest around them was ancient and twisted.

The trees reached upward like skeletal fingers, their roots forming treacherous trip hazards across the forest floor.

But after a few minutes of careful navigation, something unexpected happened.

Leon took a step forward and felt the ground give way beneath him.

Fwoosh!

"What?"

A hidden trap sprang to life as sharpened stakes shot upward from the ground, their tips gleaming with a sickly sheen that suggested poison.

Alicar reacted instantly. His hand shot out, grabbing Leon by the collar and yanking him backward just as the stakes snapped closed where he had been standing.

Their deadly points pierced the air where his body had been moments before, the sound of metal meeting metal echoing through the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Leon’s eyes widened, his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at the trap. "This is... did monsters do this?"

Alicar looked at the trap and shook his head, his expression grim. "Strays. They must be here, hiding in the Woodlands and setting up ambushes."

The Woodlands were an area even the Awakener Association had a hard time patrolling.

The dense terrain and high-level monsters made it dangerous, making it perfect for Strays to hide and set up traps for unsuspecting travelers.

It was still dangerous for them too. Most of them didn’t have the level to fight the monsters that roamed the area, so they relied on traps and stealth to survive, picking off weaker targets when they could and retreating into the shadows when confronted by stronger foes.

Due to the trap, Alicar lost track of Edwin’s group ahead.

The sounds of their fight had faded into the distance, meaning they needed to move faster if they wanted to catch up.

The Woodlands were vast and easy to get lost in without a guide.

They pushed forward, their pace quickening as they navigated through the trees, ducking under low-hanging branches and leaping over fallen logs, until a massive shape emerged from the shadows, blocking their path.

---

[Woodland Golem Lv.23]

[Rank: Rare]

---

The golem stood before them, towering over the treeline. Its eyes glowed with a dull amber light as it turned to face the two intruders.

Its massive fists were clenched as it prepared to strike, the ground trembling beneath its weight as it took a heavy step forward.