John tilted his head, ear to the wind. The vibrations sharpened, pulsing through the dirt—silent for a heartbeat, then a shuddering boom. Closer now. Even Justin caught it, his grin faltering as he glanced up, curious.

  The rhythm turned jagged—silence, then a crash, trees snapping like brittle bones. John’s eyes locked on a point in the dark canopy, mana flowing through his veins.

  “W-what is that?” Justin’s voice cracked as he scrambled to John’s side, hands trembling.

  John didn’t answer, focus narrowing, mana coiling tighter. Then the forest erupted—trees in his line of sight exploded inward, shards of bark and leaves slashing through the air. A draconic head lunged from the chaos, scales glinting silver under the faint moonlight, jaws twisted in a snarl as it barreled toward them.

  It was massive—too big to take in at once. John dropped his attempts at manipulating mana, grabbed Justin, and flung them both to the ground, dirt grinding into his palms.

  He snapped his head up. The creature—a giant, silvery serpent with a horned, dragon-like head—plowed through their campfire, snuffing it out with a thrash of its coils.

  Umbral Wyrm - Level ??

  John froze, mouth dry. The thing was a wall of scales and muscle—too huge to be real, power hitting him like a wave. His mind reeled. A monster like this had a level? Was it even possible to fight something like this?

  Like Deratus, its level was hidden. But where Deratus had been a gamble, this thing oozed a raw, untouchable power John couldn’t even dream of facing. His gut clenched as he watched it, yet a flicker of relief crept in as he realised it wasn’t after them.

  The wyrm slammed its coils into the campfire, scales hissing as embers flared and died. It thrashed until the fire was stamped out, plunging them into shadow. Only then did it seem to relax, a low rumble vibrating from its bulk as it settled into the dark.

  Unable to see much in the darkness, John and Justin stayed low and listened. They heard the great beast dragging its bulk through the dirt—the sound getting further and further away. It was leaving. Had it only wanted to put out the fire? Or perhaps it was the light that had pissed it off?

  Looking back, making a fire in this place had been foolish. John cursed himself under his breath. These new abilities were making him overconfident.

  “J-John! Is it safe?” came the hushed whisper from Justin.

  “Yes. Get up. We need to leave.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  John hauled Justin to his feet and led him out of the clearing, deeper into the forest—away from the wyrm’s trail.

  He wasn’t in the mood to talk, eyes darting through the gloom. Justin, jittery, couldn’t help himself.

  “What was that thing?” he asked, voice small, sensing John’s edge.

  “No clue. Big snake. Not sticking around to ask.” John’s tone was curt, gaze sweeping the trees.

  “Okay… T-then where are we going?”

  John slowed, then stopped. “The System said 24 hours for this ‘Tutorial’ stage. We survive that, it pulls us out. No idea how long we’ve been here—need a way to track it.”

  Suddenly, John froze. He looked over at Justin—more specifically, Justin’s wrist. He rushed over and grabbed his arm, pulling it up to see. He had a wristwatch.

  “W-what is it?” Justin stammered in bewilderment.

  John ignored him, peering at the digital time on the watch. 23:24.

  John looked at Justin. “What time was it when you got here?”

  “Oh, I woke up in the middle of the night—I think it was around 2 AM.”

  John did a quick calculation in his head. If that was accurate, then they only had a few hours left to go. They’d be teleported out of here soon.

  His thoughts drifted toward Helena, the girl who’d disappeared. If Justin was right, the chains she wore would stop the System from teleporting her out.

  Although he didn’t know her, he couldn’t help feeling a pang of pity. She was here against her will, same as them. Same age as Eliza, same slight frame.

  He clenched his jaw, dropped Justin’s wrist, and trudged on through the undergrowth. If he found her, he’d get her out.

  As they walked, John got a bad feeling—like someone was watching them. He trusted his gut now. His eyes narrowed as he looked around the forest, keeping his breathing steady.

  Perception +1

  That confirmed it. He didn’t change his posture, not wanting to tip off whatever was out there. He kept expecting an attack, but nothing happened. He just kept walking, giving brief answers to Justin’s nervous questions. That feeling of being watched never faded.

  The forest got thicker, roots grasping at their feet. John’s hand stayed near his gladius. Justin followed close, jumping at every noise. Then—a quick blur in the dark, a branch snapping above.

  Instinct +1

  John turned fast, pushing Justin down as something dropped from the trees. It was human-shaped. He drew his sword—not a mana-infused Flash Draw, just a basic draw.

  The sound of steel clashing rang through the forest, and his opponent retreated. John finally got a good look at him.

  Dark Elf - Level ??

  Another damn dark elf. This one was lean, bald, eyes narrowed at John.

  The elf stared at him, grip tightening on his dagger. “You stopped my strike?” His voice was low, edged with spite, before his gaze flicked to Justin.

  “You, kid,” the elf said, voice sharp. “They said you had Nullifying Chains. How’d you get free? You two couldn’t break those—who’s with you?”

  Justin stared at the elf, eyes wide.

  John stepped up, drawing the elf’s gaze. The elf grinned, thin and nasty, twirling a long dagger.

  “Doesn’t matter. The higher-ups can figure it out. My friends are coming—but first, I’m gonna play with you.”