The valley trembled again.
BOOM...
BOOM...
BOOM...
Each footstep echoed like distant thunder.
Dust cascaded from the towering cliffs.
Small stones bounced across the King's Road.
Several horses neighed anxiously.
Even the seasoned Wanderers tightened their grips on their weapons.
---
"Defensive formation!"
Darius commanded.
The escort reacted instantly.
Heavy shield-bearers moved to the front.
Archers climbed onto the wagons.
The Beast Tamer placed a reassuring hand on Old Mountain.
"Easy, old friend."
The giant bear let out a low growl but remained calm.
---
The Academy applicants, however, were another matter.
Some instinctively drew their weapons.
Others looked around nervously.
A few had already begun channeling Magna.
Kieran remained still.
His gaze swept across the valley.
Not ahead.
Not behind.
Everywhere.
He noticed broken branches.
Fresh cracks in the cliffside.
Deep footprints pressed into the earth.
Then...
He looked upward.
His eyes narrowed.
---
"It's not charging us."
Ronan glanced at him.
"What?"
Kieran pointed toward the left cliff.
"The birds fled before it arrived."
"The trees are broken in one direction."
"The footprints..."
"...aren't hunting tracks."
Selene immediately understood.
"...It's running."
Kieran nodded.
"It's trying to escape."
---
Before anyone could respond...
The source of the tremors emerged.
A massive beast burst through the trees.
It stood nearly eight meters tall.
Its body resembled that of a rhinoceros, covered in dark stone-like scales.
Four enormous tusks curved from its jaw.
Its golden eyes, however...
Were filled with panic.
Not rage.
Panic.
"It really is an Earthshaker..."
One Wanderer whispered.
---
Instead of attacking...
The colossal beast ignored the caravan completely.
It thundered across the road.
Past the wagons.
Past the guards.
Past everyone.
Then disappeared into the forest on the opposite side.
The entire encounter lasted less than twenty seconds.
Silence followed.
No one moved.
---
"...That's it?"
Mira asked quietly.
Darius didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the forest the beast had emerged from.
His instincts screamed.
The Earthshaker hadn't been the danger.
It had been fleeing from one.
---
Old Mountain suddenly stood upright.
The old bear sniffed the air.
Then...
For the first time...
It bowed its head.
Not in submission.
In respect.
The elderly Beast Tamer's expression changed.
"Old Mountain..."
"What did you sense?"
The bear gave no answer.
It simply stared toward the dark forest.
---
Kieran noticed something no one else did.
The Earthshaker had been wounded.
Several long gashes ran across its flank.
The cuts were clean.
Far too clean to have been made by another Earthshaker.
His thoughts raced.
"What kind of creature could wound something like that...?"
---
Moments later...
A gust of wind swept through the valley.
It carried a scent unlike anything Kieran had ever smelled.
Ancient.
Wild.
Majestic.
The Nine-Tailed White Fox, hidden upon the cliffs, suddenly froze.
Its golden eyes widened.
Not from fear.
Recognition.
It lowered its head toward the distant forest.
As though acknowledging the presence of something worthy of respect.
Then...
Just as suddenly...
The feeling disappeared.
---
Darius slowly sheathed his sword.
"We move."
One of the Wanderers frowned.
"Shouldn't we investigate?"
Darius shook his head firmly.
"No."
"If something can make an Earthshaker flee..."
"Then it's beyond our commission."
No one argued.
Experience had taught them that courage and recklessness were not the same.
---
The caravan resumed its journey.
Yet the cheerful atmosphere from earlier had vanished.
Everyone walked in thoughtful silence.
Only Kieran occasionally glanced back toward the valley.
He couldn't explain why.
But he felt...
That whatever had frightened the Earthshaker...
Would one day become connected to his own path.
---
That evening...
The caravan stopped at a fortified roadside outpost.
High wooden walls surrounded the camp.
Watchtowers overlooked the surrounding plains.
After dinner...
The applicants gathered around a large fire.
The tension of the day slowly eased.
Stories began flowing.
One boasted about defeating a wolf by himself.
Another claimed his family's cultivation art was unmatched.
Laughter gradually returned.
Mira looked toward Kieran.
"You've been awfully quiet."
"I've been listening."
She smiled.
"You always are."
Ronan looked into the flames.
"My master says..."
"A person who listens well survives longer."
Selene closed her book.
"And learns more."
Kieran smiled faintly.
Perhaps...
He had found people who understood him.
Not completely.
But enough.
---
Far from the camp...
Deep within an ancient forest untouched by human hands...
A pair of enormous emerald eyes slowly opened.
The surrounding Magical Beasts immediately lowered themselves to the ground.
The forest itself seemed to fall silent.
The unseen existence looked toward the distant King's Road.
Then...
It quietly closed its eyes once more.
The Earthshaker had escaped.
That was enough.
For now.
The balance of the forest had been restored.
No human would ever know...
How close they had come to witnessing one of the oldest rulers of the wilds.
And perhaps...
It was better that way.
End of Chapter 60