The leaves rustled softly under the gentle night breeze, and the moon bathed the forest in a pale, silvery glow. Everything was still—eerily quiet.
On the forest floor lay a massive, lizard-like beast, its body curled tightly as its long, slender tail coiled around itself. Its green scales shimmered faintly beneath the moonlight, reflecting a cold, reptilian sheen.
A small gash marred its underbelly—a wound from an earlier attack on a nearby camp. Despite the pain, the creature dared not waste this brief moment of rest. Here, it could recover... at least a little.
For now, it was at peace. But peace never lasted long in the wild.
The beast’s eyes snapped open, vertical pupils narrowing as it scanned its surroundings. It sensed something—something close. Yet, the forest appeared empty. After a long moment, it slowly closed its eyes again.
Then, just as its eyelids began to shut completely, it felt it. A presence—closer than before.
Suddenly, a firm grip seized its tail.
"Tsssss!" it hissed, whipping around in fury. The movement was fast, violent, but not fast enough.
As its massive jaws opened to clamp down on the intruder’s arm, a flash of metal pierced the darkness. A dagger drove upward, stabbing straight through the creature’s open maw.
"Tss! Tsss!" The beast convulsed as agony surged through its body. The blade twisted, then ripped out through the other side of its mouth.
The struggle ended as quickly as it began. The beast’s eyes rolled back, and its massive frame went limp. With a dull thud, it collapsed onto the blood-soaked earth. Crimson liquid oozed from the gaping wound, pooling into a growing puddle beneath its head.
Then, something strange happened. The blood began to move.
The puddle shimmered, then slithered toward the dark figure standing nearby. It rose like mist, swirling upward until it was completely absorbed into the figure’s body.
{Blood essence from low-level beast absorbed}
{+10 Perception}
{+20 MUT coins}
The lifeless carcass shriveled rapidly, skin peeling and cracking as every drop of moisture vanished.
Akhil stepped back, glancing at the corpse. "I’ll have to deal with all of these first... before I can head deeper into the mountain forest," he muttered to himself.
It seemed that many of the beasts from the earlier assault on the camp still lingered nearby. He’d already encountered two others—both wounded, likely survivors from the first wave. The camp guards had failed to finish them, but their attacks had left the creatures barely clinging to life.
Akhil was simply cleaning up what was left behind.
He moved silently through the forest, every step deliberate. Activating his heat vision, he scanned through the dense trees, his perception expanding outward like a net. Any beast within range would appear as a glowing outline against the cooler shades of the forest.
Minutes turned to hours as he pressed on.
Gradually, the darkness faded, replaced by the warm, golden light of dawn. Sunlight pierced through the canopy, scattering across the forest floor in soft patches.
{2:00}
"It’s almost time," Akhil murmured, glancing back in the direction of the camp. "I just hope they can hold out long enough."
He adjusted his grip on the dagger and continued deeper into the forest—toward the mountain where the real threat awaited.
"The humans will also be coming this time. Hopefully, they don’t do anything stupid," Akhil muttered, a deep frown creasing his face.
He still hadn’t forgotten what Langdon had said in his message. It lingered in his mind like a bad omen. Akhil could already guess what the man was planning—his methods were always predictable, and rarely subtle.
But Langdon wasn’t the only powerhouse in the human settlement. Akhil knew that well enough. The man had influence and could act on behalf of others, yes—but that didn’t mean everyone would blindly follow his lead.
What bothered Akhil more were people like Samxon—reckless, unpredictable, and far too eager to prove themselves. Still, he could only hope that in his absence, nothing would spiral out of control.
Lost in thought, Akhil soon reached the base of the dark mountain forest.
Before him stretched a range of towering peaks, their jagged tips slicing into the clouds. A thick fog hung over the landscape, swirling around the trees like pale ghosts. The air was cold and sharp as he drew in a deep breath.
"This should be where the troublemaker is," he said quietly, stepping forward into the shadowed forest.
His boots pressed into the damp earth. The scent of moss and old wood filled the air.
Then, from behind a tree, a wolf stepped out—its eyes glowing faintly in the dark, fixed squarely on Akhil’s back.
---
{Final Strike – Player Nexus}
{Support – Player Aria}
{Reward: +10 MUT coins}
---
"Nexus is really dealing with a lot out there," Aria said with a light chuckle, her gaze fixed on the glowing system feed.
"Yeah," Nibo replied, standing beside her. "I’ve been getting the same notifications from the system."
"What notifications?" Ryan asked, raising a brow.
"I’m not sure," Aria said, her tone calm. "But if I had to guess, he’s taking care of the beasts we failed to finish off the other day."
Ryan nodded. "Then we can’t disappoint him either. While he’s handling that, we might as well focus on what’s in front of us."
"We’ve got about thirty minutes left," Nibo added, folding his arms over his chest.
All twenty-eight of them stood before the orc settlement, tension hanging thick in the air. Every weapon was ready, every stance steady. This wasn’t a battle to win—it was a battle against time.
Akhil had made that clear, and they were ready.
Or at least, they thought they were.
ROOOAAARRRR!
A thunderous roar echoed from deep within the forest, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
"What was that?" one of the orcs asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"We’ll find out soon enough," Aria said, her eyes narrowing as she stared into the distance.
---
Meanwhile, in the human settlement...
Outside the city walls, a small army had gathered, engines humming softly in the cold morning air.
"Are you sure about what you’re saying?" Hale asked, her tone cautious as she looked at Samxon.
"Yes, I’m sure," Samxon replied flatly. "The masked guy told me himself."
Hale frowned. "Very well then. We’ll head out. You got the message from Langdon, right?"
Samxon’s brows twitched at the mention of that name.
"Who does that guy think he is?" he snapped. "Bossing everyone around when he barely leaves the walls of his damn city. We haven’t even met the bastard in person."
Hale sighed. "Someone has to stay behind and manage the settlement. He controls most of the power bots—it makes sense for him to remain there."
Samxon bit his lower lip, muttering something under his breath. Then, without another word, his hoverboard roared to life beneath him.
"Let’s just get going."
Hale could only shake her head, exhaling a weary sigh. "Just don’t cause any trouble," she said, activating her own board and following after him.
Just then, a loud trumpet resounded and the systems ominous voice followed.
{THE SECOND HORDE HAS BEGUN}