The team immediately got ready for battle.
Zayen wasn't surprised to be discovered—he hadn't really been hiding properly anyway. Besides, being seen was no big deal. Calmly, he stepped out from his hiding spot.
"I don't have any ill intentions," he said, his tone indifferent. "I was just passing by. I noticed you guys were in battle, so I wanted to see what was going on."
It's you!" Edward looked at Zayen with some surprise, as if he recognized him.
"Edward, who is he?" Lexi—the girl in sportswear—looked at Edward in surprise as she asked the question. "Have you two met before?"
Zayen was also slightly taken aback when he saw that Edward recognized him.
How does he know? Have I met him before?
Edward shook his head and pointed at Zayen with a half-surprised, half-curious expression. "No, we've never met in person. I saw his avatar in the chat channel, so I remembered him. This person is called Zayen."
When the group heard this, their tense expressions eased, and they slowly relaxed.
Edward then looked at Zayen again and asked, "Zayen, how did you end up here alone?" Where are your teammates?"
"Just passing by!" Zayen said indifferently.
"The world out here is truly dangerous. If you wander around alone, it's far too easy to run into trouble."
Lexi let out a small sigh, patting her chest as though she had just calmed down from a scare.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Seriously… with all these magic beasts running around, even our whole team almost got wiped out," one of the men muttered.
Edward turned back to Zayen and spoke with a friendly tone.
"Brother, you're lucky we noticed you. If you had bumped into that level 2 Embertail Fox or those pythons earlier, you'd be done for."
Level 2 Embertail Fox.
So they had encountered that beast as well…
In fact, it might have been them who injured it in the first place.
Thinking of this, Zayen forced out a polite smile.
He naturally couldn't tell them that the Level 2 Embertail Fox was already dead—
and that he was the one who killed it alone.
Another team member scratched his head and said, "Anyway, since we ran into you, you should stick close for now. It's safer to move in numbers."
Edward nodded. "Yeah. We're heading to scout the forest entrance again. Come with us. It'll be safer than walking alone."
Zayen hesitated for a moment and shook his head slightly and said, "I'm sorry. I'm used to being alone. It's better if I don't join the team and cause trouble for you."
He didn't want to team up with anyone.
Joining them would only expose his talent… and slow down his growth.
When Edward and the others heard Zayen reject their invitation, all of them froze for a moment.
Edward's brows tightened, genuine concern showing on his face.
"But it's really dangerous here. What if something happens to you?"
Zayen smiled lightly, as though it were nothing worth worrying about.
"It's fine. Don't worry about me."
His calm attitude made the group exchange glances.
Lexi couldn't help but whisper softly,
"He really wants to go alone…?"
Another teammate shrugged.
"Either he's confident… or he has no idea how dangerous this place is."
Zayen turned slightly, already preparing to leave, when Edward's voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Wait—!"
Zayen paused and looked back, only to see Edward walking toward him with steady steps.
"Here, take this dagger." Edward stepped forward and handed him a short, sharp blade.
Zayen blinked, a little surprised.
"You're giving me your weapon? What about you?"
Edward let out a small laugh.
"Our team got lucky and found a treasure box earlier. It had two short daggers and some other things. Giving you one is no big deal. Besides, my talent is perfect for hand-to-hand combat, so I don't really need weapons anyway."
"Thank you. I'll make sure to return the favor with an even better weapon someday," Zayen said, his tone calm but serious.
A smile appears on Edward's face as he says, "I'll be looking forward to that. Don't disappoint me."
Zayen nodded once more, then turned and started moving quietly through the forest.
Edward watched Zayen's retreating figure, a faint tinge of regret in his eyes.
"Let's go. No need to force it," he said softly, taking the lead as he moved forward.
The others followed him silently, muttering among themselves. They couldn't understand why Zayen insisted on going alone, but there was nothing they could do.
...
After leveling Edward and his teammates, Su Rui once again embarked on his journey alone.
However, this time he no longer felt the panic and nervousness he had before.
After several battles, he became increasingly confident in his own strength. The Endless Forest, which was once an intimidating unknown, now felt like a vast training ground laid out before him.
With this, he planned to go deeper into the Endless Forest this time.
After walking for a while, he saw a wolf-type magic beast staring at him from ahead.
[Name]: Shadowfur Wolf
[Level]: 1
[Attack]: 22
[Defense]: 14
[Speed]: 31
[Skills]: Shadow Pounce, Moonfang Bite.
When the Shadowfur Wolf noticed that it was only Zayen, it quickly ran towards him.
"Good timing!"
Zayen gripped the short dagger and activated [Divine Manipulation]. Golden light gathered around the blade, and in the next second, the dagger was completely enveloped, stretching and reshaping into a long golden sword. Unlike the previous sword formed entirely from light, this one looked solid—almost as if it was forged from divine metal.
Holding the long golden sword firmly, he rushed toward the Shadowfur Wolf.
When the distance closed, the Shadowfur Wolf suddenly leaped, jaws wide open, its sharp fangs aiming straight for Zayen's neck.
Zayen activated [Divine Manipulation] again. A golden shield of pure light appeared in front of him. At the same moment, he tightened his grip on the sword, stepped to the side, and dodged left.
The long golden sword struck out in a smooth flash.
The blade pierced cleanly through the wolf's neck as it hung in mid-air, stabbing from one side to the other.