Chapter 43. A Friendly Group
In a different part of the monster zone, far from the colossal tree Cassius had wandered into, another group pressed deeper into the forest—a zone thick with verdant, untamed life.
This area was like something out of a forgotten age. Towering ancient trees stretched skyward like natural spires, their thick trunks blanketed in dense layers of dark green moss, giving off a damp, earthy scent.
Intertwined through their rough bark were long vines, twisted and coiled like resting serpents. Each vine was as thick as a baby’s arm and pulsed faintly, as if alive.
Overhead, the canopy was so tightly knit that it filtered the sunlight into thin shafts of green-tinted light, casting everything below in an eerie twilight hue.
The ground was no easier to traverse—waist-high grass grew in abundance, brushing against their limbs as they carved a path forward.
The blades shimmered faintly under the light, and some seemed to react slightly to movement, swaying even without wind.
In the middle of this lush, wild landscape, a group of five young aspirants moved carefully, yet purposefully. Each step they took was deliberate, each rustle of the grass marked with caution—but their nerves weren’t completely still.
Tension lurked beneath the surface.
Among them, a tall man with black hair that swept back and sharp brown eyes broke the silence. His tone was light, casual—an attempt to ease the creeping nerves.
"Hey, what do you guys think the top score’s gonna be?"
The teal-haired girl walking just a few steps ahead of him didn’t even bother to look back. Her icy blue eyes remained fixed ahead as she sliced away a curtain of vines with her short blade.