Chapter 107: The Rat hiding in the Shadow 2
The dense canopy of the forest filtered the golden morning sun into fragmented rays, casting jagged shadows across the forest floor. The air was thick—not with danger, but with expectation. Nero and Khione moved like wounded wolves, slow and deliberate. Their postures told the story of exhaustion. Their eyes, dulled to feign weariness, flickered with concealed sharpness.
They no longer used their detection spells to their fullest range.
That was intentional.
By now, they had determined that their mysterious stalker had some means of perceiving magical fluctuations. The moment they cast wide-ranged detection spells, the enemy would slink further into the dark, hiding their scent, their presence, their malice.
So instead, they gave nothing.
Only two predators, dragging their wounded bodies forward—appearing vulnerable, gasping, injured.
An illusion.
For half an hour, the forest gave nothing but silence. Each step felt like a performance on the world’s most dangerous stage. Every breath measured. Every expression crafted.
And just when the silence stretched too long—just when their patience thinned—
The forest trembled.
A rhythmic pounding, like war drums approaching.
From between the gnarled trees, ten massive figures emerged. Towering over two meters each, they wore crude armor of bones and hide. Their bodies radiated raw chaos, muscles twitching with berserker fury. Ten berserk orcs—each seething with unnatural rage.