Suddenly, everyone’s eyes snapped wide open. A suffocating weight pressed down on the area, radiating an aura so violently oppressive that it sent a literal death chill down their spines.

Even in the pitch-black darkness of the treeline, a colossal shadow loomed overhead, entirely engulfing both groups in its terrifying eclipse.

Nobody moved a muscle. Every single survival instinct in their bodies screamed that even the slightest flinch would result in instant death.

Despite the paralyzing fear, Lucian forced his pupils to shift upward for a fraction of a second. The moment he registered what was standing above them, every drop of blood drained from his face, leaving him deathly pale.

The monster towered over them, easily a hundred meters tall. Its body was covered in dirty, dead-white fur, casting a shadow as heavy as a warship. Its face was pure nightmare. One side had four small, bulging yellow eyes like a sick frog. The other side was dominated by just one massive eye. Broken swords, iron rods, and jagged spikes were stuck deep into its head and shoulders side, looking like they had been hammered many times before.

The creature slowly lowered its massive head toward them.

Kaelen’s face was completely ashen. He slowly tilted his head toward Lyria, his terrified expression silently screaming a single command:

Do it now.

Without moving the rest of her body, Lyria twitched two fingers. Two translucent, spherical barriers flickered into existence, perfectly encapsulating both groups.

Then, something bizarre happened. The massive pools of goblin blood scattered across the dirt began to levitate. Drops and puddles floated upward, coalescing in the air just above their heads until they formed a massive, swirling sphere of crimson blood.

The creature’s jaw unhinged. Thick, foul saliva splattered against the dirt outside their barriers. A pinkish long, muscular tongue lashed out, wrapping around the massive blood orb and pulling it into its maw.

Watching the grotesque feeding, Sera and Elira’s faces twisted in deep grimaces of disgust and terror.

Without shifting his head even an inch, Lucian activated his inspection skill.

’Villain Gaze.’

[Shushura]

[Race: Ashura]

[Rank: SS]

[Combat Power: 195,000]

[WARNING: Do not engage. Do not make sudden movements. Any hostile action will result in INSTANT DEATH.]

Fuck fuck fuck... what the freaking hell is this monstrosity?!

Wet, grotesque squelching and chewing sounds echoed from the creature’s mouth for an agonizing fifteen seconds. Finally, a loud gulp rumbled through its massive throat.

It slowly turned around and vanished back into the deeper zone of the Forbidden Forest.

Nobody could comprehend what had just happened. How could a hundred-meter-tall behemoth move without making a single sound? There were no heavy thuds, no vibrations in the earth. It was as if the creature possessed a high-tier passive skill that completely erased its physical footprint, allowing it to glide over the ground like a colossal ghost.

For several long minutes, everyone remained completely frozen in place.

Then, all at once, the tension snapped. They finally exhaled.

Kaelen couldn’t even stay on his feet. He collapsed onto his knees, gripping his staff against the dirt as he gasped desperately for air. Lyria’s translucent barrier flickered and dissolved into thin air, and she dropped to her knees right beside him, panting heavily.

"Mm... that thing... was way too scary," Zeri murmured, letting out a long, shaky breath. "I... I wanna go home."

Standing next to Lucian, Sera’s grip on her bat had loosened, but her hands were still violently trembling.

"What... what the hell was that thing...?"

Lucian didn’t answer. He was staring blankly at the smoking patch of dirt where the creature’s foul saliva had dropped.

195,000 Combat Power? SS-Rank? That thing could have wiped every single one of us out in a split second if anyone had made even the slightest movement...

Elira was the first to fully regain her composure. Her face smoothed back into its usual deadpan calm as she looked over at the blue-haired girl.

"That barrier... you saved us," Elira muttered.

Lyria let out a dry, breathy laugh, still trying to steady her racing heart.

"Yeah, well, don’t get sentimental on me. I just didn’t want to die either."

Using his wooden staff for support, Kaelen finally managed to pull himself back to his feet, though his legs were still visibly shaking. He grabbed onto Lyria’s sleeve, letting out a pathetic sniffle.

"Lyri, I almost pissed myself! I can’t take this anymore, please, let’s just go! I’m so scared... what if that creature hears us moving and comes back?!"

"Agreed," Lucian interjected, cutting through the panic. He looked over at Sera and Elira and opened a rift back to their dorm.

"Let’s go, girls."

He cast one final glance toward the suffocating darkness of the treeline.

We never should have come this deep...

"Alright then..." Lyria slapped her cheeks lightly, forcing the color back into her pale face. "We’ll be taking our leave."

Kaelen didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet, leaning heavily on his wooden staff for support. But Zeri had already curled up on the dirt off to the side, fast asleep.

Kaelen rushed over to her in an absolute panic, violently shaking her shoulders. "Hey, wake up, Zeri! Do you want to die out here?! Wake up, wake up!"

Before he could shake her any harder, Lyria stepped up and effortlessly lifted the half-asleep girl by the collar of her oversized hoodie.

"Do it, Kaelen. Open the portal for her."

He nodded frantically. Gripping his staff, he twisted it, tearing a spatial rift in the air. Without a second of hesitation, Lyria literally tossed the drowsy girl straight into the swirling portal.

Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

Wait... that’s not a System-generated Gate. That’s raw magic.

’System, Villain’s Gaze.’

[Target: Lyria Draven]

[Age: 18]

[Combat Power: 32,879]

[Mana Stage: Edge]

[Target: Kaelen Nebryss]

[Age: 16]

[Combat Power: 9,998]

[Mana Stage: Flow]

Nebryss...?

’System, is he using space magic?’

[Yes.]

Suddenly, a cold chill crawled down Lucian’s spine. A nagging sensation gnawed at the back of his mind, like he had just forgotten something incredibly important regarding that name. He scratched the side of his neck, ultimately brushing the thought aside.

Whatever. It doesn’t matter right now... time will tell.

"Bye-bye!" Lyria threw a casual two-finger salute over her shoulder and stepped through the rift. Meanwhile, Kaelen practically dove headfirst into his own portal, desperate to escape the cursed forest.

A second later, the spatial tears shrank and vanished without a sound, leaving the clearing in dead silence.