After a couple of hours of moving through the new forest he had found himself in, Liam had finally managed to locate a place he could use as a temporary base.

Or perhaps even a shelter for the remainder of the assessment if things worked in his favor.

Far away from the wide river and much deeper within the forest, Liam had come across a massive rocky outcrop rising from the earth like the exposed spine of some long-buried beast.

The formation itself towered over the surrounding terrain, its jagged stone surfaces uneven and weathered by time. Sharp rocks jutted outward at different angles while thick roots from nearby trees wrapped around portions of the stone like giant veins. The terrain surrounding the outcrop was rough as well, filled with steep inclines, loose stone, and uneven footing that naturally discouraged movement through the area.

Even the forest around it had changed slightly.

The trees nearby were thinner and more spaced apart compared to the denser sections Liam had crossed earlier. The rock beneath the soil clearly made deep rooting difficult, forcing much of the vegetation to adapt poorly around the formation.

To most people, the area would have looked inconvenient.

Difficult to traverse and easy to ignore.

Which was exactly why Liam liked it.

After approaching the outcrop cautiously and spending time examining the formation, Liam eventually discovered a narrow crevice hidden between two massive slabs of stone.

At first glance, just like the cave near the river he had considered earlier, the opening hardly looked like an entrance at all.

It resembled nothing more than a natural crack within the rock formation.

Dark, tight, and easy to overlook.

Most people would walk right past it unless they were specifically searching for shelter or happened to notice the subtle difference in airflow coming from within.

Liam had paused before it briefly, studying the gap carefully while extending his senses into the darkness beyond.

There was no immediate demonic presence, no scent of wildlife nesting inside, and no recent disturbances.

Only stale air and old stone.

After confirming that much, Liam finally decided to squeeze himself through the narrow opening.

The space was tight enough that his shoulders brushed against the rough stone walls as he pushed inward. Loose fragments of rock scraped against his clothing while small bits of dust fell from above with each careful step.

Then, after a few seconds of forcing himself deeper through the narrow passage...

The space opened up.

Liam stepped through into a surprisingly wide hollow chamber hidden within the heart of the rocky formation itself.

The sudden openness contrasted sharply with the narrow crevice outside.

The chamber wasn’t massive, but it was more than large enough to serve as a proper resting place. The ceiling curved naturally overhead, supported by thick stone pillars formed over countless years of erosion and pressure. The ground itself was uneven and rough, covered in dust, loose gravel, and patches of hardened earth that clearly hadn’t been disturbed in a very long time.

The air inside was cool, still and quiet.

Liam slowly took in the interior, his crimson eyes scanning every corner carefully while his senses extended outward through the chamber once more.

There was nothing dangerous or living.

Just darkness and silence.

And for the first time since entering Nalim, silence actually felt useful instead of threatening.

Just like the underwater cave he had wanted near the river earlier, this place offered several things Liam desperately needed right now.

Security, concealment, and place where he could finally rest without remaining constantly exposed.

The narrow entrance alone made the location difficult to discover unless someone intentionally searched the area, and the rocky terrain surrounding the formation naturally discouraged larger creatures from wandering too close.

More importantly, the chamber allowed him to finally stop moving.

Which was becoming increasingly necessary.

Taking all of that into consideration, Liam eventually allowed himself to settle within the chamber.

He chose a relatively flat section of ground near the back wall before lowering himself carefully into a seated position, making sure not to aggravate the injury in his thigh further.

Then, after a slow exhale, he closed his eyes.

At first glance, it appeared as though he had simply fallen asleep.

And technically, part of him had.

But more than anything, Liam was trying to restore as much Myst as possible after everything that had happened throughout the day.

Because despite finally finding shelter, his condition wasn’t nearly as stable as he wanted it to be.

Just like he had sensed earlier upon entering this side of the forest, Liam had encountered multiple groups of demons throughout the journey here.

Several packs of Feral-class demons and a few wandering Horror-class demons.

Nothing individually threatening to him anymore, but still problematic enough to slow his movement and force repeated engagements.

Smoke had handled most of them.

Especially the Feral-class creatures.

The shadow wolf had torn through several groups without much difficulty while moving silently through the forest alongside his master. Even a few Horror-class demons had fallen beneath Smoke’s claws after brief struggles.

Still, Liam had eventually needed to step in personally on multiple occasions.

Partly because certain demons were too durable for Smoke to eliminate efficiently.

And partly because Liam couldn’t risk allowing prolonged battles to attract stronger threats nearby.

Which meant more Myst expenditure, more movement, and more strain.

Hours of it.

And because of that, his Myst reserves had gradually dropped further than he liked.

By the time he finally reached the rocky outcrop, Liam estimated his reserves had fallen to roughly eighty-five percent.

To most people, eighty-five percent would still sound absurdly high after a day like this.

But Liam didn’t think that way.

Not anymore.

Not after understanding how quickly things could spiral out of control inside Nalim.

Now, he needed to recover as much Myst as possible before the second day began.

Even if the environment itself made that difficult.

Because while this side of the forest was significantly better than the swamp in terms of Myst instability, it still wasn’t ideal for proper recovery.

The ambient Myst throughout Nalim remained distorted and uneven, constantly shifting in unnatural patterns due to the realm’s nature and the concentration of demons spread across it.

That instability made restoring Myst far more difficult than normal.

Not impossible, just inefficient.

Painfully inefficient.

Under ordinary conditions, Liam would have already recovered a decent portion of what he lost simply through passive circulation and controlled breathing.

Here, however, even restoring the smallest percentage required immense focus and steadiness.

Meaning if he wanted even a chance of recovering five percent throughout the night, he would need to remain deeply focused for hours without interruption.

And even then, success wasn’t guaranteed.

Still, Liam had no choice but to try.

So within the darkened chamber hidden inside the rocky outcrop, Liam slowly regulated his breathing and allowed himself to sink into a state of deep concentration.

Outside, Smoke remained on guard.

The shadow wolf had positioned himself near the peak of the rocky formation, his massive dark body hidden naturally within the surrounding shadows while all four glowing eyes scanned the forest below like a silent sentinel.

Nothing moved near the outcrop without Smoke noticing it.

And with the shadow beast guarding the exterior, Liam could finally allow himself a small degree of vulnerability while resting.

Thus, the first day of the assessment came to an end.

Not peacefully, not cleanly, and certainly not in the way Liam had originally intended.

But despite the injuries, the wasted Myst, the destroyed supplies, and the constant problems thrown at him from the very moment he entered Nalim...

He had survived.

And for now, that was enough.