Northwest of the Sacred Forest.
Less than three kilometers from the abandoned ancient altar, thirteen figures were moving at high speed along an ancient forest path almost completely concealed beneath enormous roots. They had already passed through the altar passage and entered the Sacred Forest, yet none of them used movement skills that would create noticeable mana fluctuations, and even their breathing had been suppressed to the absolute minimum through special methods.
Before leaving the abandoned altar, the silver-masked captain had remained behind for several seconds under the pretense of checking their tracks. Unseen by the other twelve operatives, he had pressed a small gray-black device into the earth beneath the altar and concealed it beneath a layer of fallen leaves and corrupted soil.
Once remotely activated, the device could not be stopped.
