Seven people crammed into a hollow tree—it was never going to last.
By day, every step risked leaving tracks. By night, their bodies pressed together so tightly that even turning over was a struggle. Worse, there was no real defense. If a patrol found them, they would be trapped like animals.
"We have to move."
One evening, after finishing a simple meal of roasted grouse, Colin spoke without lifting his head, sketching lines in the dirt with a piece of charcoal.
"Move? Where?" a woman asked, panic creeping into her voice. "This is already the safest place we know."
"Safe?" Colin's tone remained calm. "Only for now. The longer we stay, the higher the chance we're discovered. What we need isn't a hiding spot—we need a stronghold. Somewhere we can defend."
Nearby, Goff paused, slowly wiping down his bow. His cloudy eyes lifted, thoughtful.
"There is… a place," he said hoarsely. "Deep in the Blackwood Forest. A ruin. An old outpost built by humans before the last Blood Moon War. Abandoned long ago. High ground, cliffs on all sides. Only one path leads up."
Colin's eyes sharpened. "Then why has no one used it?"
Goff let out a quiet breath. "Because it's too deep. That part of the forest… even hunters avoid it. Too many beasts."
Dangerous.
Which meant—
Safe.
"That's where we go." Colin pressed the charcoal firmly into the dirt, marking their path. "Do you remember the direction?"
Goff met his gaze.
After a moment, he nodded.
They set out at dawn.
This journey was far harsher than the last.
They pushed deeper into the Blackwood Forest than any of them had ever gone. The light dimmed beneath towering, twisted trees. The air grew heavy, carrying the scent of predators and decay.
But they were not alone.
Colin led from the front.
His sharpened instincts warned them of danger before it struck—guiding them away from a slumbering giant bear, steering them clear of deceptively sweet-smelling fungi that induced madness.
At the rear, Goff erased their tracks, his experience ensuring nothing followed.
The others stayed between them, moving in fearful silence. Yet, watching Colin's back—lean, not imposing, but unshakably steady—they felt something unfamiliar.
Security.
After three grueling days, climbing over jagged rock and steep slopes—
They saw it.
The ruin.
An ancient outpost, perched atop a hill.
Built from massive blue-gray stone, its walls stood weathered but enduring. Moss and vines clung to its surface, and parts of the battlements had collapsed, yet the structure itself remained—like a silent beast watching over the forest.
It guarded a narrow mountain pass.
Perfect terrain.
Easy to defend.
Hard to attack.
"This is it," Colin said, a spark igniting in his eyes.
But he didn't rush in.
Alone, he climbed ahead to scout.
Inside, the place lay in ruin. Weeds choked the courtyard. The barracks had partially collapsed, housing nothing but a massive bird's nest and scattered bones.
No predators.
No threats.
Safe.
Only then did he return and lead the others up.
When their feet touched solid stone, a collective breath escaped them.
For the first time in days—
They felt protected.
"We… have a home again…" Lena whispered, gazing at the towering walls.
"Not yet," Colin cut in.
Emotion could wait.
"Everyone, move. Lena, clear the barracks. Uncle Goff, take the others—clear the courtyard, check the walls for gaps."
Without another word, he turned away, dagger in hand, already surveying the perimeter.
This wasn't a shelter.
It would become a fortress.
The following days were relentless.
They worked from dawn until exhaustion forced them to stop.
Weeds were torn out. Broken walls patched with stone and mud. Collapsed beams repurposed into a crude but functional roof.
But Colin focused on something else—
Defense.
He didn't waste Kill Points on system blueprints. Lin Yue's knowledge was enough.
Along the only path leading up, he dug concealed pit traps, lining them with sharpened stakes.
In the surrounding forest, he set early-warning traps—vines tied to bones and stones that would rattle loudly at the slightest disturbance.
Above the entrance, he constructed a deadfall: boulders and logs balanced precariously, ready to crush anything below with a single cut of rope.
Goff watched all of this unfold.
At first, he was surprised.
Then impressed.
Then—
Silent.
Because what Colin created wasn't just clever.
It was ruthless.
Even a trained squad would bleed trying to take this place.
A week later, the outpost had transformed.
Night fell.
Wind howled beyond the stone walls like mourning spirits.
But inside—
Firelight danced.
A pot of meat soup simmered over the flames, its warmth filling the courtyard.
Everyone held a bowl.
Faces once hollow now carried faint smiles.
For the first time since the tribe's fall—
They felt at peace.
This was no longer a ruin.
It was a home.
Colin stood apart.
Alone atop the broken battlements, staring out at the endless black sea of trees.
Goff approached quietly, handing him a bowl of soup.
"What's on your mind?" the old hunter asked.
Colin took a sip. The warmth spread through him—but it didn't reach his heart.
"How long this peace will last."
His gaze stretched beyond the forest.
Far away—
Toward the lands ruled by Count Raymond.
Through Goff, through fragments of memory, Colin had begun to understand this world.
A feudal system.
Human lords expanding their territories.
The destruction of the tribe?
Not an accident.
Just another step in that expansion.
"They don't even know why we were attacked," Colin said quietly. "To them… it's just survival."
Or conquest.
The tribe had already fled twice.
This time—
They failed.
And now, they hid.
Like prey.
Colin's fingers tightened around the bowl.
Hiding wouldn't last.
One day, the war machine would come again.
And when it did—
This place would be tested.
His gaze dropped to his hands. The wounds had healed. Strength flowed through him, stronger than before.
Then—
He looked down.
At Lena, quietly speaking by the fire.
At Goff, standing beside him.
At the fragile peace they had built.
The weight settled fully on his shoulders.
To protect them.
To give them more than survival—
Dignity.
He needed more than what he had now.
He needed power.
Real power.
The kind that could crush anything that threatened them.
Colin clenched his fists.
And in his chest—
That desire burned.