The days blurred into one another as the group pushed forward.
Each day, they faced attacks from Level 1 and Level 2 creatures—Horned Hares, Thorn-Tail Lizards, Duskrender Panthers. Sometimes even Level 3 beasts appeared: larger, fiercer monsters like the Razorback Boars and Stonehide Bears that pushed the candidates to their limits.
Despite the dangers, their skills grew sharper. Bonds strengthened in the fires of shared battles.
Eryon, Kael, and Ryn often fought together, forming a natural trio—Kael weaving in and out with his agile strikes, Ryn defending with brute strength, and Eryon anchoring them with fierce precision.
By the seventh night, they had grown confident.
Perhaps too confident.
The camp was quiet that evening, the fires crackling low. Most of the candidates had drifted into a light sleep, their weapons resting close at hand.
It began with a low rumble, barely perceptible.
Then came the shaking of the earth.
Eryon jolted awake, hand instinctively gripping his sword.
Around him, others stirred in confusion. Ardyn was already on his feet, his expression grim.
"To the trees!" he barked. "Now!"
No hesitation. Training kicked in. Candidates scrambled up the nearest trees, helping each other if needed.
Just as Eryon reached a sturdy branch high above the ground, the cause of the tremor became clear.
A tidal wave of beasts poured through the forest—creatures of every kind and size, from tiny Horned Hares to massive Stonehide Bears—all fleeing in wild, panicked terror.
They didn't spare the candidates a glance. They simply ran, driven by pure instinct.
Ardyn's face tightened as he watched the stampede.
"Something's coming," he muttered. "Something powerful."
The candidates clung to the trees, wide-eyed.
Minutes dragged by. The ground shook continuously under the weight of hundreds—perhaps thousands—of fleeing beasts.
And then—
It appeared.
Out of the shadowed woods emerged a creature that made even Ardyn stiffen in alarm.
A tiger—but not like any tiger from legends or books.
It stood six meters at the shoulder, its body rippling with muscle under a coat of shimmering white and gold fur. Its paws crushed saplings as it walked, and its golden eyes gleamed with a terrifying, almost divine intelligence.
A Level 6 beast.
The air seemed to freeze around it, a tangible pressure bearing down on every living thing nearby.
Eryon felt his heart hammering in his chest as he gripped the tree tighter.
"Is that thing real?" Kael whispered, his voice barely a breath.
"It's like a force of nature made flesh," Ryn muttered, his hand white-knuckled around his sword hilt.
Alice, perched a few branches away, said nothing. But Eryon saw her grip a small pendant hanging from her neck tightly, her knuckles pale against it.
The tiger moved slowly, majestically, its head swiveling as if seeking something—or someone.
It sniffed the air, tail lashing with growing agitation.
And then—it stopped.
Its golden eyes locked directly onto the tree where the candidates hid.
A low growl rumbled from its throat, the vibration passing through the ground and into their bones.
"It senses us," Ardyn said grimly, stepping down from the branch and landing lightly on the ground.
He unsheathed his blade in one smooth motion, the metal catching the faint moonlight.
"Stay hidden," he ordered the candidates sharply. "If it comes, I will buy you time."
The candidates watched in horror and awe as Ardyn positioned himself between them and the beast, ready to face a nightmare made flesh.
The tiger's golden eyes narrowed, its muscles coiling.