The forest felt different now.
Not quieter.
Not more dangerous.
But aware.
Auren walked steadily through the darkness, his steps light, his presence faint—almost erased from the world around him. The shadows no longer merely followed him; they lingered, stretched, and adjusted as if they recognized him.
As if they belonged.
The faint hum of his authority remained within him, subtle yet undeniable. Every movement, every breath, every shift in space felt clearer than before. The world was no longer something he simply moved through.
It was something he could influence.
Slightly.
For now.
Auren stopped.
The air ahead had changed.
A distortion—not his own.
Small.
Unrefined.
But present.
His gaze shifted upward, toward the thick branches of a massive tree. Leaves barely moved, yet something was there.
Watching.
"…Come out," Auren said calmly.
Silence answered him.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
A faint rustle.
A small figure dropped from the branches, landing lightly on the forest floor several meters away. Its green skin blended with the surroundings, its sharp yellow eyes fixed entirely on him.
A goblin.
But not like the others.
It did not rush forward.
It did not snarl.
It simply observed.
Auren's eyes narrowed slightly.
Another screen appeared.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Name: Unknown Goblin
Rank: E
Element:
Wind: D
Mana Capacity: Low
Skills:
Quick Step
Dagger Strike
Trait:
[High Intelligence]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"…Intelligent," Auren murmured.
The goblin tilted its head slightly, its grip tightening around the crude dagger in its hand. Its posture was cautious—but not fearful.
It had seen him fight.
That much was clear.
"You… strange," the goblin spoke, its voice rough, broken, yet understandable.
Auren didn't react outwardly.
"…You speak."
The goblin's lips curled slightly, almost like a grin.
"Not like others."
Silence stretched between them.
Neither moved.
Neither attacked.
The tension was different from before. Not predator and prey.
But something uncertain.
The goblin took a slow step forward.
Auren didn't stop it.
"You kill big one," it said, referring to the horned bear.
Auren said nothing.
The goblin's eyes sharpened.
"…Want know."
Auren looked at it for a moment, then spoke simply.
"Know what?"
The goblin tapped its own chest lightly.
"Power."
Auren's gaze didn't change.
"…Why?"
The goblin paused.
For a brief moment, something darker passed through its expression.
"Tribe… weak."
It looked toward the deeper forest.
"Others… kill. Take. Eat."
Its grip on the dagger tightened.
"Want stronger."
Silence returned.
Auren watched it carefully.
Not its words.
Its intent.
There was no deception.
No hidden malice.
Only survival.
For a moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath again.
Auren turned slightly, as if considering leaving.
"…Then survive."
The goblin's expression shifted instantly.
Confusion.
"No teach?"
Auren stopped.
He didn't turn back.
"…Why would I?"
The question was simple.
Cold.
The goblin froze.
It had no answer.
Auren began walking again, his figure slowly disappearing into the darkness.
But then—
A faint shift.
The goblin moved.
Not to attack.
To follow.
Silently.
Carefully.
Auren didn't stop this time.
"…Persistent."
The shadows around him flickered slightly, as if reacting to his thoughts.
He could erase it.
Easily.
The space around the goblin was fragile compared to his control now.
One distortion.
One compression.
And it would be over.
Yet—
He didn't.
Instead, he continued walking.
The goblin followed.
At a distance.
Neither spoke again.
Minutes passed.
Then—
Auren stopped once more.
This time, his gaze shifted forward, sharper than before.
The air ahead was heavy.
Multiple presences.
More than one.
Stronger than the wolf.
Stronger than the goblin.
Auren's eyes narrowed.
"…Three."
The goblin froze behind him, its instincts screaming danger.
From the darkness ahead, shapes began to emerge.
Larger.
Bulkier.
With rough armor made of bone and scraps.
Orcs.
Another screen appeared instantly.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Name: Orc Warrior x3
Rank: D
Element:
Earth: C
Mana Capacity: Medium
Skills:
Heavy Strike
Endurance
Group Assault
Trait:
[Pack Coordination]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The three orcs stepped forward, their eyes locking onto Auren.
Then—
One of them shifted its gaze.
Toward the goblin.
A low, mocking growl escaped its mouth.
The goblin stiffened.
Fear.
Real fear.
"Run," it whispered under its breath.
But its body didn't move.
Auren didn't look back.
His voice was calm.
"Stay."
The goblin froze.
The orcs began to move.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
Weapons raised.
Intent clear.
Auren stepped forward.
The shadows at his feet spread wider than before.
Thicker.
Heavier.
The air itself began to bend.
"…Good."
His voice was quiet.
But different.
Not curiosity.
Not observation.
This time—
Expectation.
The first orc roared as it charged.
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
Auren didn't move.
But the space around him—
Collapsed inward.
The distance between them twisted unnaturally.
The orc's charge faltered for a split second—
And in that moment—
The shadows rose.
Not as strands.
Not as bindings.
But as something more solid.
More controlled.
Auren's eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness.
"Let's test it."
Behind him, the goblin watched.
For the first time—
Not with curiosity.
But with awe.
Because the human in front of it—
Was not weak.
Not normal.
Not something that should exist.
And as the orcs closed in—
The forest itself seemed to distort around him.
As if acknowledging a new presence.
One that did not belong—
Yet was beginning to claim it.