It was finally midday, near 2 p.m. We were quite deep inside the forest now.
According to Carl, the forest was divided into four zones — Green, Yellow, Red, and White.
Right now, we were somewhere in the middle of the Yellow Zone.
With every second passing, my anxiety was overwhelming. As planned, Carl was in the lead, the boys were in the back, and I was in the center. So far, we hadn't encountered any monsters... Is that weird?
"Hey, Carl," I asked, trying to sound casual despite my serious concern for our (my) safety. "Don't you find it strange that there are no monsters around? Last time I was here, you could find one or two organisms at least anywhere you looked."
"Yes, we agree," said the steroid boys. "If there are no small monsters or animals around, it could mean that something truly terrifying is nearby. Let's pray that's not the case."
"C-Carl… is that true?" I asked hesitantly.
"No need to worry. We are not in danger," Carl stated, his words devoid of any doubt.
"But it's really so quiet here," I insisted, a shiver running down my spine. "Are you sure if we go any further, we won't be gone for… forever?"
"The only thing that is gone forever is your hairline," he replied without wasting any time, not even bothering to look back.
"Hey! Don't talk about that! I just have a big forehead, alright? People say those with big foreheads are intelligent and knowledgeable!"
"Sure, sure. The emptier the container, the louder the sound it makes."
"You… you…"Damn it, he's morphologically perfect. I can't even come up with a good insult.
"Enough," Carl whispered, turning his head slightly so only I could hear. "If you utter any more nonsense, I will not protect you if any monster shows up. Then let's see how you'll act all high and mighty in front of Joey and Jack."
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"Oh, come on, bro! We're brothers from different mothers—no need to get so serious."
Goddamn, if it weren't for his strength, I'd have punched him across the face already.
"Uh, Mr. Darcy, aren't you both partners?" Joey asked, his innocent question cutting through the tense silence. "Is it normal for you both to fight?"
"Well, it's not me who starts the fight, it's Carl," I quickly explained. "He's a little bit arrogant, a little bit prideful, a little bit of a narcissist, and a little bit of this and that. So, things get complicated, and it's hard to predict him."
"Stop!" Carl's sudden exclamation ripped through the quiet.
"What?!" I yelped, fear seizing my brain the moment I heard his tone.
"There is something nearby… something dangerous."
"Motherfucker! What do you think we were trying to warn you about all this time?!" I screamed angrily. I'm sure anyone would agree that my anger was reasonable.
"Walk closely, it's not the time for arguing. Eyes wide open, watch each other's backs," Carl commanded, his voice now serious. "Something is circling us, jumping from one tree to another."
Without further thought, I jumped to stand directly beside him. The boys and I formed a tight circle, our backs facing inwards, scanning the dense foliage. Something was indeed circling us; I could also hear the rustling of leaves from tree to tree.
"Carl, you can take care of it, right?" I asked.
"Don't know," he said flatly. "Not until I see what it is."
"You said we were safe!!"
"Nothing's guaranteed in this world."
"Mr. Carl, Mr. Darcy, what is it?" Joey asked nervously.
"I don't know," I replied honestly.
"But aren't you a seasoned adventurer?" Jack asked.
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"I mean… even seasoned adventurers would struggle to identify something they haven't seen yet. There are many monsters that can pull this kind of stunt!"
Before I could say more, something leapt down from a huge tree.
The creature landed with a ground-shaking thud — gray, massive, and terrifying. Its body was like a crocodile's, but with six muscular limbs like a Siberian tiger's. Its skin was leathery and covered in scutes, and its eyes were a stagnant, mossy green — like death in still water.
My mind went blank. My body froze as if it had already accepted its fate.
But before I could react, Carl charged at it — followed by Jack and Joey.
Running wasn't an option. I took a deep breath. I can't just stand here useless.
"ATTACK WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT!" I screamed. "Carl, handle the front! You two, go for its rear! You're mages — restrict its movements!"
While Carl fought it head-on — bare-handed, for some insane reason, even though he had a dagger — I pulled out the crossbow I'd taken from town.
I had enchanted arrows: smoke, shock, fire, and water. I loaded a smoke one. I wasn't confident with my aim — better to avoid friendly fire.
From behind,Joey turned the soil beneath the creature's hind legs into a muddy quicksand, trapping it for a moment. Jack shouted, "Muscle Magic!" and slammed his fist into its hind leg joints.
That was the opening I needed. I quickly aimed the crossbow towards its eyes and fired. On impact, a cloud of thick black smoke erupted from its face.
"Carl, now!" I yelled.
Carl didn't hesitate —moving with blinding speed he quickly popped out both of its eyes.
"Joey! Jack! Break its hind legs! If it walks or jumps, those are its main source of power!"I commanded.
While Jack and Joey were busy muscle-smashing its hind legs to confuse and attract the attention of the now blind creature, I threw three firebombs that I also carried in my bag to Carl. I screamed,"Pull the pin and throw them into its eye sockets!"
So he did. Its head blasted away, though its lower jaw was somehow still intact. Its brain, however, was gone!
"Yes! We did it!" I exclaimed in victory.
"Yahoo!" the boys shouted from behind the monster. Carl looked neither glad nor sad. The boys came running towards me in excitement to share the same feeling of accomplishment we had just achieved.
In relief, I flopped onto the ground, arms and legs spread wide like a starfish.
Carl walked over. "Why don't we camp here for the night? It's already getting dark since the forest is so dense and the trees enormous. I also see some edible plants and fruits for me to eat, and the fruit of those long trees contains sweet water that will work as our drink."
"Perfect!" I exclaimed. "But I have a question."
"What?" Carl asked.
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"Can we cook this monster's meat? Is it edible?"
"Yes, it's perfectly safe for consumption if cooked properly."
"YES! Thank the gods! Finally — meat!"
"But won't the smell attract other monsters?" Joey asked nervously. "The carcass or the cooking aroma might bring trouble."
"There's always risk," Carl admitted. "But I doubt there'll be more than one big monster in the area. Still, to be safe, we'll only take a small portion, cook quickly, and then move up to the trees for the night. I have presence-erasing incense that'll last till morning. Tomorrow we can check the carcass again.We will take some part of it for future journeys, but remember not to get greedy and take more than what we can carry comfortably"
"Yes!"
"Yes!" I agreed heartily. I don't know why, but he's so considerate right now, and I love it!
That night, I finally ate meat, and it tasted like nothing I had eaten before—like water to a thirsty person, a blanket in a winter season.
Carl ate the fruit and plants, either cooked or raw.
After finishing our meal, we went to the tallest tree and set up our sleeping camp on one of its branches while lighting the incense for all night.
And that's how the first day ended.