Ray and Aunt Lily wandered through the dense forest until they encountered their first beast in miles. The creature resembled a shadowy octopus, but vastly larger with countless writhing tentacles that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.
Without hesitation, Ray rushed forward, leaping into action. He delivered a powerful kick to one of the beast's appendages, but it barely moved. A tentacle sliced through the air toward him, but Ray deftly dodged and seized it with his bare hands, wrenching it from the creature's body.
The beast emitted a blood-curdling scream as it lunged toward Ray. He sidestepped the attack, grabbed another tentacle, and tore it free. To his dismay, the first two severed tentacles regenerated almost instantly. Undeterred, Ray continued his assault, ripping off another appendage only to watch it regrow. He realized he was trapped in an endless cycle of damage and regeneration. What could he do? A killing blow seemed necessary, but the writhing mass of tentacles created a dangerous barrier.
In that moment, Ray made his decision. He wouldn't allow anyone else to perish in these trials, even if it cost him his life. If dying with honor meant saving others, he would embrace that fate.
One of the tentacles whipped toward Lily, but she quickly erected a Liberia shield and darted away. She retaliated by firing several light beams at the creature, scorching its dark flesh in multiple places.
Ray seized the opportunity created by Lily's distraction. Dodging between tentacles, he landed a powerful punch to the beast's head. The creature recoiled but remained undamaged. Ray knew what he had to do.
"Hard Body," he activated, making himself invulnerable for ten precious seconds.
He charged forward, allowing the tentacles to strike him as he closed the distance. The beast actually retreated as he approached, but tragically, his skill ended at the worst possible moment. Just as Ray delivered his most powerful punch to the beast's head, a tentacle pierced through his stomach and nearly reached his chest. He collapsed to the ground. The beast lay dead, but Ray hovered near death, blood pooling beneath him.
Lily rushed to his side, her young face contorted with fear. "Are you okay?" she cried out, kneeling beside him.
"I'll be fine," Ray replied with a weak smile, his voice barely audible.
"No, no! I can't let someone else die near me again! Please live, please live!" Tears streamed down her cheeks, her small hands trembling as she tried to stem the flow of blood.
Ray grasped her hand, his own slick with blood. "Look," he whispered, "just get help. If you do that, I might have a chance." His eyes, though dimming, held determination. "We have to get out of here together, so please, send help."
Lily nodded and sprinted away, her small body moving faster than ever before, desperation lending speed to her tiny legs.
Meanwhile, Michael was experimenting with his shadow abilities. He practiced creating shadow puppets to test their offensive capabilities, which proved surprisingly effective. He then attempted shadow clones and even tried forming shadow weapons by solidifying darkness. After several successful tests with a shadow staff, his energy depleted, forcing him to rest.
Shadow was methodically assassinating beasts throughout the area, steadily upgrading his mystic human skills with each victory.
Awana focused solely on collecting weapons, farming the area for any armaments he could find.
Damien tested the sharpness of his chains and the intensity of his fire abilities, though he singed himself in the process.
Their activities were interrupted when Jacob swaggered toward them, exuding confidence as if he'd single-handedly slaughtered dozens of beasts.
"Oh, you guys actually survived?" Jacob smirked. "I thought I'd return to find nothing but corpses."
Michael, still resting, glared at him. "We're not as weak as you think we are," he retorted.
"Whatever. Anyway, I have a new skill upgrade, losers." Jacob activated his gauntlets with a flourish. "These are the Beast Slayer gauntlets—way more powerful than your pathetic skills."
While they bickered, a small figure approached—a pale-faced seven-year-old girl running toward them, her eyes wide with panic.
"Please help! I need help!" Lily cried, her voice breaking.
Michael immediately looked up. "What? There are other people here? We're probably the only ones anyway. What do you need help with?"
"My partner," she gasped between breaths. "He's hurt. He's the only one left on our team. Please, I need you to help me save him."
"What's his name and where is he?" Michael asked gently.
"His name is Ray, and he's in the Shadow Forest."
Jacob's eyes lit up with recognition. "That stupid forest where I massacred thirty beasts? Hell yeah, I know exactly where that place is," he boasted.
Michael's patience snapped. "Stop being so damn arrogant! A child needs our help, and you're over here bragging about how many beasts you killed."
"What? It's not my fault I'm better than all of you," Jacob retorted.
Michael's rage nearly overwhelmed him.
"Can you help me?" Lily asked, her voice small and frightened.
"Yes, we'll help," Michael assured her, then turned to Jacob. "Where is the Shadow Forest?"
Jacob's smirk widened. "Why would I show you losers? You're going to die anyway, so what's the point?"
"Can you stop being so self-centered for one minute?" Michael exploded. "Is there anything you care about besides yourself and your strength? You're not even that much stronger than us!"
Lily backed away fearfully, which immediately calmed Michael. He knelt down to her level. "I'll help you find your friend. Can you lead us to the Shadow Forest?"
"Okay, I'll lead you," she said, setting off with Michael following closely. The others remained absorbed in their activities, and Jacob was too busy admiring his new gauntlets to notice their departure.
Hours later, Lily guided Michael to Ray's body. Somehow, life still flickered within him despite the blood-soaked ground. Ray coughed weakly, spitting blood.
Michael examined his staff thoughtfully. He gathered shadows from nearby trees and objects, channeling the dark energy into Ray's stomach wound.
To everyone's amazement, the shadows began knitting the flesh together. Ray's health visibly improved as the pain subsided and life returned to his eyes.
"How... how did you heal me so quickly?" Ray asked, bewildered.
"I don't know," Michael admitted. "I just improvised and it worked."
"Thank you for helping him," Lily said, embracing Michael tightly, her small arms barely reaching around him.
"You're welcome," he replied, gently patting her head. "You two can join our group if you want. I wouldn't mind."
Ray glanced at Lily. "Do you want to join?"
She shook her head, remembering Jacob's arrogance. "No thank you."
"If she says no, then I say no," Ray stated firmly.
"But you two might die out here alone," Michael protested.
Ray's expression hardened. "I said if she says no, then I say no."
Michael backed away. "Alright, I won't bother you anymore." He left the Shadow Forest to rejoin his companions.
Once alone, Ray struggled to his feet. "Thank you for getting help. I truly thought I was going to die."
Lily smiled, relieved tears in her eyes. "I would never let you die. You promised we would leave together, remember?"
Ray chuckled weakly. "I guess I did. Let's go—we need to find the portal on this side of the Blood Continent to escape."
"But I thought it was in the Shadow Continent," Lily said, confusion clouding her face.
"It changes location every twenty-four hours," Ray explained urgently. "We only have about six hours left. We need to hurry."
They set off together, unaware of the horror behind them. The tentacle beast, supposedly dead, suddenly opened its single eye. Its maw gaped wide as it released a terrifying scream that only other beasts could hear. Minutes later, the ground trembled violently—the Beast King was coming.