The air in the forest shifted—like something unseen had exhaled a heavy breath. The trees swayed without wind. Iyak and Lioris stood frozen, peering cautiously from behind a thick tree trunk draped in moss. The forest around them was silent… too silent. Not even the chirp of a bird or rustle of a squirrel. Just stillness.

  Then, from behind another tree, shadows moved.

  Iyak’s eyes narrowed as his gaze landed on three figures emerging from the foliage. Each wore tattered black cloaks and bore strange glowing tattoos that slithered around their arms like living things. Their eyes scanned the area, sharp and hungry. Predators in human skin.

  When Lioris saw them, her entire body trembled. Without a word, she backed up and ducked completely behind the tree, clutching her tail and trembling like a scared kitten.

  Iyak turned to her, whispering sharply, “What’s wrong? Do you know them?”

  Lioris bit her lip and nodded, her voice trembling. “Y-Yes… those men… they were the ones who captured me before. They’re hunters. Mercenaries who deal in capturing magical creatures. They… they were the reason I was chained and bleeding when you found me…”

  Iyak’s expression darkened. “They did that to you?” he muttered through clenched teeth. “Alright, then. I guess it’s time someone flipped the hunter and the hunted.”

  Meanwhile, one of the hunters stepped near the old trap where Iyak had earlier fallen.

  “I think someone fell into this,” the first hunter said, squatting beside the disturbed pit. “But looks like they got out somehow. There's blood… a lot of it.”

  The second hunter looked around. “Do you think it’s that boy or the Lamia girl?”

  “I don’t know,” the first replied. “But whoever it was, they’re injured and probably nearby.”

  Iyak, crouched behind a log, clenched his fists. How long have they been tracking us? How didn’t I sense them? Then suddenly, a thought sparked in his mind.

  He whispered, “Open.”

  Instantly, a shimmering blue screen popped up before his eyes. He stared at it in awe.

  [New Skill Unlocked: Mana Resonance]

  “What the—? New skill?” he whispered to himself. “I can feel magic signatures now?” He focused on the hunters. A string of data appeared beside each one.

  Hunter 1: Level 10

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  Hunter 2: Level 11

  Hunter 3: Level 10

  Iyak squinted. “That’s decent, but not unbeatable…”

  Then, curiously, he looked at his own stats.

  Iyak: Level 0

  “…Zero?” he hissed. “How the hell am I level ZERO? I just survived a spike pit and came back from the dead!”

  He groaned and rubbed his face. “This system really wants me dead.”

  His eyes flicked toward Lioris, still crouched and shaking, her eyes wide and her fingers digging into the earth. She looked fragile. Vulnerable.

  But if she was so strong, why is she so afraid?

  Curiosity piqued, he focused on her. Another string of glowing data appeared.

  Lioris: Level 25

  His jaw dropped.

  “Twenty-five?” he whispered, stunned. “She’s more than double their level. She could flatten all three of them without breaking a sweat. So why is she…?”

  He turned to her. “Lioris… why aren’t you fighting back? You could take them.”

  She looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “Because last time I fought back… I lost control. I nearly killed someone innocent. Ever since then, I promised myself I’d never let that happen again. I’m scared… scared of myself.”

  Her voice cracked at the end, and she looked away in shame.

  Iyak stared at her, then gave a deep sigh. “You’re stronger than you think… but I get it. You don’t have to fight if you’re not ready. I’ll handle this. Somehow.”

  He peeked around the tree again, watching the hunters spread out. His mind raced. I need a plan. Fast. I can’t win in a fair fight. I don’t even have a weapon. All I’ve got is blood loss, sarcasm, and sheer bad luck.

  He clenched his fists and whispered to himself with a grin, “Alright… let’s make this stupid level zero count.”

  Iyak narrowed his eyes, watching the hunters move in the distance.

  Then—he grinned.

  Not just any grin. A wicked, teeth-showing, "I have a terrifying idea that might just get us killed but will be so much fun" grin.

  “Who,” he whispered, his voice almost a growl, “will save them from me?” His eyes lit with a feverish excitement. “I can’t wait to see their faces when everything turns against them. I’m so eager to witness their vulnerable screams echoing in this cursed forest.”

  Lioris looked up at him, eyes wide, heart pounding. “M-Master?” she stammered.

  He turned toward her and softened just slightly. “I know you can’t fight. I’m not asking you to. But there is something you can do. If we pull this off right, we can take down all three of them without even breaking a sweat.”

  Her eyes welled with fear, but she gave a determined nod. “I’m ready to do anything, Master. Just tell me what to do… but… is it really possible? Without magic? Isn’t that… suicide?”

  Iyak stood up slowly, his torn cloak swaying behind him like a cape. “Let them have their spells. Let them wave fire and throw ice. I don’t need that. I’ll use the deadliest weapon known to mankind—” he tapped his temple, “—my brain. And the forest knowledge I’ve picked up these last two days.”

  Lioris blinked, confused. “I… I don’t understand any of that. But… I believe in you. You always do the impossible, Master. You’re not just a powerful man… you’re terrifyingly clever.”

  Iyak chuckled and leaned close to her ear, whispering the plan.

  Her eyes widened more and more as he spoke. When he finished, she gasped. “Are you sure this will work?”

  Iyak smirked. “We’ll find out. Now go.”

  Without another word, Lioris vanished into the woods.

  Moments later, Iyak let out a loud, exaggerated laugh—deliberately loud.

  “HAHAHAHA! You really thought you could catch me? Try harder, clowns!”

  The sound echoed through the trees.

  The hunters froze.

  “There!” one of them shouted, turning sharply. “That bastard's taunting us!”

  Iyak bolted from his hiding spot, darting between the trees like a blur. One of the hunters immediately gave chase, growling, “You’re mine, brat!”

  Iyak led the man deeper, where the forest grew darker… stranger. The trees here whispered. They moaned. At the center stood a monstrous tree, hunched and gnarled, its trunk like a twisted ribcage. This was no ordinary tree—it was the Devourer. A predator disguised as wood.

  The hunter slowed as he caught sight of it. His instincts screamed danger.

  “I have a bad feeling about this…” he whispered.

  Suddenly, Iyak appeared, grinning again—and holding a crimson fruit that pulsed like a heart.

  “Know what this is?” he said, shaking it. “A Screamfruit. It yells louder than your mother when she finds out you failed magic school.”

  “What—?”

  Iyak hurled the fruit at the Devourer’s roots.

  CRACK!

  The fruit exploded—and unleashed a blood-curdling, banshee-like shriek that made birds fly from trees miles away. The Devourer woke. Its bark cracked open like a monstrous eyelid. And then it moved.

  The hunter screamed and turned—but too late.

  Roots whipped out, grabbed him, and dragged him into the creature’s mouth. His final scream was swallowed by the grinding bark.

  Iyak dusted his hands. “One down.”