The dark and desolate surroundings filled with scattered trees and damaged lands were displayed in a certain area at the mountain.
With the combination of towering trees and dangerous uneven terrains, the land looked like it had a supernatural background, giving people a sense of danger permeating in the air.
Most of the trees had dark, crooked trunks and dried leaves, adding the fact that the thick cluster of trees blocked the light from coming in, was enough to make people afraid of staying in this mysterious location.
However, at this moment, the surroundings were filled with sounds of forceful impacts and trees falling; this alone would make people wonder whether their ears weren't tricking them.
It was common knowledge among everyone that no one would want to go to this part of the mountain since one could lose their sense of direction if they were deep enough inside.
Another thing was its low visibility. Even when the sun was high up in the morning, the mysterious forest doesn't brighten up.
The dark side of the mountain never faces the sun, and it was hard to see how far it spanned. No end could be seen in sight even when one was to reach the outer region of it.
In this vast land, mountains after mountains stuck next to each other. People would find it hard to tell where they are if they were to lose track of their position.
Everyone knew how dangerous it was, and no one was brave enough to go through it and risk their safety. Even those who seek thrills and adventure would have to hold themselves back.
The countless number of people lost inside also brought its already fearsome reputation further up to a new level of danger.
For that reason, people being in here was unthinkable. The resources available in this area were also scarce, leaving anyone no reason to be here.
But this time, two figures seemed to have decided to become the desolate forest's new victims.
Max had beeing trying to use everything to finish this difficult battle. He clearly didn't understand how it happened as it occurred so fast he wasn't able to react to it.
Before him, was a middle-aged man with a dagger cloaked in dark red flame, the man's face was full of ferocity as if he wanted to devour Max whole.
Max couldn't help but wonder whether he had recently offended someone, which led to him receiving this kind of welcome once he reached the mountain.
It could also be that he might have been entangled with someone else's plans in this area.
Seeking adventures while satiating his curiosity, Max only decided to go to this location so that he could spectate the ongoing battle and at the same time, take a closer look at the bats.
The mountains were breathtaking. The old trees stood so high that they made Max think that he was back to the olden times where ferocious animals still roamed the land.
As he traveled around, Max could feel the dangerous atmosphere surrounding him.
The seemingly calm yet impressive mountainous regions made him feel like he was in a wild zone filled with uncertainties and unexpected dangers.
Max had to be in constant alert of his surroundings, knowing that this area wasn't a place he was familiar with.
Hidden dangers lurk everywhere, and one mistake could lead him to death. Though coming here, all these things were only passing thoughts drifting away in his mind.
Max expected nothing wrong happening since there was no reason for an incident to occur right after his arrival.
However, it seems like the world was toying with him, putting him in his current troublesome situation.
The man in front of him was like a crazed bull non-stop going after him. Initially, Max had only gone near this area because he saw the weird-looking forest that gives off an eerie atmosphere.
Max was alone as he went inside it. Yu'er and Xue went on the other side of the mountain to search for any traces of the bats.
Xue's transformation ability was useful for scouting. Coming to this humongous mountain, they decided to split, going to two opposite directions to save time.
With their own communication device on their hands, they can still keep in contact with each other once they found something.
When going through the endless forest, Max didn't think he would see a lifeless forest on the same mountain as the lively jungle full of colors.
Unable to keep his curiosity to himself, Max entered by himself to take a look at what this strange place was.
What he didn't expect was someone would attack him out of nowhere. Ambushing someone wasn't to be taken likely as no one would play that kind of trick and expect the other to let them go the next moment.
That could only mean that the person behind it had hostile intentions against him.
Considering the fact that it only happened when he entered this unnatural forest, Max thought whether he had entered someone else's territory to which he had no clue about.
But now he had no time to think about it. Using his flexible body, Max pushed his legs against the ground, pushing himself out of the range of the fiery blade.
Even without knowing what it was, Max could already guess that the flame cloaking the blade was not something he could manage to receive.
Max was still a distance away, and he could already feel the heat burning through the wind. The ground around the man had also been scorched black.
One could only imagine what would happen to Max if he were to touch the blade of the dagger.
The eyes of the man became fiercer, which looked to be glowing, seeing Max surprisingly evade all his attacks. He initially planned to end this fast as he still had many things to do.
Though the man had a ferocious expression, a playful smile never left his face. It was a stark contrast to his brutish actions; Max could only sweep away the repulsive feeling rushing through his body.
Does this guy think he was a sheep grasping onto the tiny hope of surviving against his assault?
The man had only accidentally encountered Max when he was on his way to prey on some good targets.
Max had no idea of this, but there had been cases of people missing in the nearby cities, including his home city.
The Special Affairs Department had also been looking closely into this. All of them didn't know that the person responsible for it was none other than the man Max was presently against.
Smiling Death was what he was called all over the Awakened world. This came from how he was always smiling while he happily killed his chosen victims.
The worst thing was Smiling Death never kills anyone with a reason. He only kills for the entertainment it brings him.
Smiling Death enjoys seeing his victims' despairing expressions. Everything he does was solely for the sake of his enjoyment.