The world shifted in an instant.
One heartbeat ago, they were stepping through a swirl of blue light, the next they stood in a jungle alive with color and sound. Towering trees rose toward the sky, their canopies heavy with leaves that filtered sunlight into golden beams. The forest floor was soft with moss and damp earth, and the air smelled of wildflowers and rain.
Even the seasoned Pugnators paused.
"gods," Alice breathed, tilting her head back to drink it in. "I'll never get used to this. Every portal feels like stepping into another world."
A few nodded, but Ishira's voice carried over the wonder. "Stay alert. Eyes open."
He reached into his vest and pulled out a slim, glassy device. Two dots pulsed on the screen, one blue and one faint red.
"The Raid Compass," Ishira said, lifting it for Conus to see.
Conus leaned closer. "What does it do?" He asked.
"It helps us find the blood crystal and also keep tab of the portal's position. We would not want to get lost now, would we? The blue dot represents the portal, and the red, the blood crystal."
"What is a blood crystal?" Conus could not help but ask.
"Blood crystals are the powerhouses of the otherworld," Ishira replied, his tone gentle. "We cease it, and this world collapses. That is our mission. That is how we close the portals."
His gaze swept the team. "Feridale Order entered before us. Let us be on the look out for them." Then, he turned to Conus, "In here, otherworld creatures are not the only thing you should be worried. Even our fellow humans can become our enemies."
Conus nodded, understanding what his father was saying. Without another word, Ishira led them forward, boots sinking softly into moss.
Conus lagged a little, unease crawling along his spine. Something about the forest felt wrong, as if unseen eyes followed their every step. He scanned around him and triggered his appraisal ability, but nothing new appeared beyond the familiar numbers above his squadmates.
Still, the feeling remained.
"I wonder what's lurking here," Konnor muttered, resting a hand on his blade.
Alice shot him a look. "E-rank portal. Expect E-rank creatures of course. Except for the king. The king is usually a rank above."
She turned to Christian. "Bookworm, read us the list of E-rank creatures."
Christian nodded as he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small book. He flipped it open, and began. "Poison Moths, Gremlins, Soot Imps, Giant Were-rats, Armored Man-beetles…"
He froze. They all did.
Something moved behind a tree.
It stepped out, upright like a man but wrong. Its skin was rough and green, ears long and twitching. It wore rags and carried a jagged stone dagger.
Christian's voice dropped. "Hobgoblin."
The creature lunged at them, blabbering strange words.
Ishira moved as well, and he was faster. His blade sang once, and the creature's head separated cleanly from its shoulders. Green blood sprayed across the roots, the body collapsing without a sound.
Conus stared, stunned. He saw a faint ripple of energy rise from the corpse and flow into his father. Ishira did not so much as blink. Unlike him, his father could not see or sense aura.
This was Conus's first real glimpse of Ishira in battle. It was not just skill, it was power. The Hobgoblin had been level twenty-one, yet his father had ended it with little effort.
And then more numbers appeared. Red digits glowed all around them. tens of them.
"Captain," Lily said softly, already lifting her massive scythe. "We are not alone."
The trees seemed to shift. Growls rose in the shadows, and then they came. Hobgoblins, twenty at the very least, their green bodies almost invisible until they moved, their faces twisted, stone weapons ready.
"Formation," Ishira barked.
The squad reacted instantly. Alice spun her twin daggers into her hands. Konnor grinned, his fist ready. Alan readied his spear with a quiet focus, and Lily's scythe gleamed, a monstrous blade in her delicate hands.
"Christian," Ishira said, voice hard. "Stay with Conus and the Porters. Protect them."
Christian nodded and moved closer.
The first Hobgoblins charged.
Steel met stone. The clash of weapons rang through the jungle. Snarls, screams, and the thud of bodies filled the air. Blood sprayed across the moss.
Conus stood frozen, watching his father and his team carve a path through the enemy. Alice was a blur of lightning, sparks flashing off her blades as she cut down one after another. Konnor's body swelled, muscles bulging as he slammed a fist into the earth, sending creatures flying. Alan's spear thrust released a sharp pulse of sound that burst Hobgoblin skulls. Lily moved like a dancer, her massive scythe spinning arcs of death.
The sight stirred something inside Conus.
He should have been horrified. But he was not. The violence thrilled him. His heart rate quickened, not from fear but excitement.
The squad held their ground, but a some hobgoblins had slipped through, rushing the Porters.
Christian moved to intercept, but another blocked his path. The creature kept coming, dagger raised.
Conus didn't think. He jumped into one of the porters' shadow and appeared from the shadow beneath the Hobgoblin, his hands lashing out to trip it. It shrieked as it fell face-first.
Conus did not waste time. His sword pierced the creature's neck from behind, hot blood spilling across his arm. The Hobgoblin jerked once, then died.
Energy flooded him, sharp and electric, like something alive racing through his veins. He saw the aura rise from the creature and flow into him. His level jumped, strength growing inside him.
The jungle went quiet for a heartbeat.
Ishira looked at his son, blade paused mid-swing. The others spared glances, surprise flickering across their faces, but no one spoke. They were too shocked to speak. Conus was supposed to be weak. He was supposed to be one of the lowest F ranks in fact, yet, he had managed to kill an E rank creature. Not just any creature, a hobgoblin. One of cruelest and most intelligent E rank creatures.
The battle finished quickly after that. They tore through the remaining creatures until the jungle fell silent again, littered with bodies of their enemies.
The Porters moved in with their carving knives, harvesting and useful parts of the creatures.
Christian approached Conus, his expression tense. "You could have been killed. I apologize for my incompetence."
Alice laughed lightly. "Are you kidding? The rookie did not seem to need any sort of help if you ask me."
Conus blinked, unsure what to say.
Ishira stepped closer, his voice calm but proud. "An F-rank who can kill a Hobgoblin is rare. Moreover, we are speaking of one that had never even stepped into a portal, until today."
"It was luck," Conus muttered, wiping the blade clean.
Alice smirked. "That did not look like luck to me."
Konnor grinned. "The thing you did with the shadow, that was quite impressive."
Conus scratched his head, accepting the compliment.
Even Lily spoke, even though it was just a word. "Scary."
Conus almost screamed that she was the scary one. She swung that scythe like she was the grim reaper.
"That's enough," Ishira said firmly. "We should rest now. We move in an hour."
The squad relaxed, but Conus could not. His heart still raced, the thrill of that kill was alive in his veins.