Since I had already completed the quest, it was time to move to the next stage.
"Ruru, can you take me out of this forest?" I asked.
She stared at me for a few seconds, then stood up, ready to move.
"I knew I could count on you," I said, grabbing her hair as I climbed on.
She pawed the ground with her right foot, ran, and jumped off the cliff, flying several miles into the air before landing on the ground.
Then, as usual, she sprinted like thunder, covering several hundred miles in an instant.
As we moved, the forest began to change.
The purple hue on the trees grew more intense, and even the ground was blotched with purple veins. The wind was also howling more intensely the further we moved.
After running for about two hours, Ruru suddenly skidded to a stop
"Ruru, what happened? Why did you stop so suddenly?" I said as I got off her back.
She was staring at something deep within the forest. She slowly began to tremble and took a few steps backward.
It was the first time I saw her scared.
I tried to look in the direction she was staring, but saw nothing except trees fading into darkness.
Still, as I tried to stare into the far darkness, my heart started beating faster and sweat began pouring from my body.
I immediately looked away and turned toward the trembling Ruru.
"Don't be afraid, Ruru. I am here," I said calmly, touching her.
"Voice of Tranquility activated."
Ruru finally calmed down and stopped trembling.
But before I could take a breath, the next problem emerged.
A pack of three giant wolves and two enormous leopards emerged from behind the trees.
They were bigger than the deer I had faced, though still smaller than Ruru.
"Get back, Ruru," I commanded, stepping forward and drawing my mace.
These beasts were different from the deer I had faced. Their curse was far more intense—over one-fourth of their bodies had literally turned purple. Unlike the deer, which could only attack with their antlers, these creatures had deadly fangs and jagged claws.
One of the cursed wolves bolted forward with a snarl, its claws slashing through the air, aiming at me.
I blocked the attack with my mace, but another one launched itself from the side, baring its fangs at my neck.
I quickly ducked down, dodging the wolf.
In a split second, I let go of the mace with my right hand, gripped it with my left, and swung upward, striking the wolf in the belly.
"Cursed beast detected...
Small amount of Soulforce absorbed"
Then I clenched my fist and threw a punch at the one in front of me.
But surprisingly, it leapt back, dodging the attack.
"These bastards... they're smart," I muttered, swinging the mace in my hand.
"But you know, I am smarter," I said as I threw my mace to the right, twisting my hand.
Then I dashed towards them barehanded, and just as I reached closer, I jumped, clenched my fist, drew my arm back, and threw a punch right at them.
They immediately leapt backward as my fist landed on the ground, splitting it apart.
"Oh, you guys dodged that," I whispered. A wide smirk appeared on my face, and then I muttered, "All according to plan."
The one on the right got hit by the mace I had thrown earlier.
"Cursed beast detected.
Small amount of Soulforce absorbed."
In a blink, I grabbed the flying mace and hit the face of the one at the extreme left, colliding all three wolves together.
"Small amount of Soulforce absorbed."x3
Without wasting any time, I jumped onto the one in the middle and grabbed the heads of the two on either side of it, smashing all of their heads together.
"Soulforce absorbed..."x3
"Now... now, I know you are hiding there. Come out, kitties," I said as both the leopards jumped from the trees on my right and left.
I spread my arms, reaching closer to their faces, and whispered,
"Lightning bolt."
A gust of golden lightning emitted from my hand, striking both of the leopards, making them fall on either side of me as smoke rose from their unconscious bodies.
"Hehe, I know my control is not good, but even a kid can hit from that close distance," I shrugged as I jumped off the wolf's back.
.
.
.
"Absorption of Soulforce completed.
Soulforce absorbed: 253/300k."
"Woah, these guys had a lot of cursed Soulforce. I had to cure eight to nine deer to get this much Soulforce," I said, my voice filled with amazement.
"But now that I think about it, why are there more of these cursed beasts? I thought those deer were the last of them. At this rate, I will never be able to leave this forest," I shouted, digging my fingers into my hair in frustration.
I was about to move, but then I heard some noises coming not so far from deeper within the forest.
I climbed a nearby tree to look for the source of the noise. There were multiple sounds—the growl of a wolf, the footsteps of animals—but in between, there was another sound: the sound of metal clanging.
I jumped from one branch of the tree to another, reaching the source of the noise.
It was a horde of cursed wolves fighting.
They were attacking something behind a tree. I couldn't see from up there, but when I moved further to get a clearer look, my eyes widened and my mouth opened in shock.
The one they were attacking was none other than a human.
It was a lady, holding a longsword in her hands. She was wearing a long white and black robe with red marks and wide sleeves.
Her long silver hair swayed with each movement, shining under the moonlight.
She wasn't just fighting the wolves—she was dancing with them. Her every move was precise and graceful.
I jumped to the closest branch possible to take a closer look at her.
Now that I looked at it again, those red marks weren't the design on the robe but rather the blood she was shedding.
She had injuries all over her body. Forget about fighting—it was a miracle she could even stand. Even with all the wounds, there was not a single unnecessary movement of her sword.
I was about to step in to help her, but she suddenly took a step back, held the sword vertically with both hands, and closed her eyes.
A white glow, like moonlight, began to radiate from her sword.
She opened her eyes and sprinted toward the pack.
As she moved, her sword left a trail of snowflakes behind it, and as soon as it touched the wolves, they turned into ice statues.
"Woahhhh. So beautiful." These words instinctively came out of my mouth.
I got so immersed in the technique that I lost my balance, wobbled, and fell to the ground.
"Ughh, my butt cheeks hurt," I said, rubbing my back.
But when I looked forward, that lady was pointing her sword at me.
"Hehe... Hello, pretty lady," I muttered awkwardly.
"Who are you?" she whispered in a soft voice.
"Umm... My na—"
Before I could complete my sentence, she fell into my arms, unconscious.