The night passed without any major problems. As usual, they took turns standing guard. During the night, they hadn't encountered any significant threats, except for a couple of low-level wild dogs.
They were swiftly dealt with.
Back to the present, Victor and his team packed their gear and belongings, preparing to start their Escort Quest to Green Leaf Village.
The journey was expected to take two to three hours. By then, the Exit button might finally be enabled.
Victor and Phillip took the lead at the front, while Kierra walked behind the girls, ensuring they were protected from any potential ambushes from the rear.
Over an hour passed with occasional encounters with low-level monsters, which were swiftly dealt with.
Victor, who had been just 700 points away from Level 9, finally leveled up.
Though he was pleased, he wasn't sure if he could reach Level 10 by the time they left the Supreme Game.
"Sizzle, Sizzle!"
As they passed beneath a large tree with sprawling branches, Victor and the others suddenly heard the unmistakable sizzling sound of a snake.
They looked up and saw a massive python staring at them with unblinking eyes.
Victor and the others immediately readied their weapons, prepared to strike.
But strangely enough, the snake didn't attack.
Instead, it swiftly disappeared from their view.
They found this odd.
"Haha… Maybe it was smart enough to realize it wouldn't be able to defeat us alone," Phillip joked.
"Yes, that could be true. Some monsters do possess intelligence beyond just acting on instinct," Victor agreed, recalling how the skeletons had displayed strategy when attacking him.
"Alright, let's move. We're about half an hour away from exiting the forest," Kierra said, glancing at the map.
As they resumed walking, Phillip suddenly noticed something odd.
He paused, his brows furrowed with tension and worry.
"Hey, I can't use my summoning spell. Something is definitely wrong here," Phillip said in a panic, his eyes darting around in confusion.
Kierra's playful gaze instantly fixated on the culprit: Raizel.
Victor clicked his tongue in frustration.
He had made a mistake. He had been using his Nullification Field frequently to level it up, relying on cactus flesh to recover his stamina quickly.
All this time, he had been careful to maintain some distance from Phillip to avoid drawing attention. But by accident, Phillip had stepped within the range of his Nullification Field, disabling his summoning spell.
Now, Phillip couldn't even summon Philo.
This proved just how powerful Anti-Magic could be—though, at the moment, it was only useful for defense. If only he had an offensive spell to go with it, that would have been ideal.
Regardless, Victor quickly deactivated the Anti-Magic Field, realizing he was just a little away from leveling the spell up to rank E.
"What are you saying? How can magic not work? There must be some mistake on your part. Check again, Phillip," Victor said as calmly as possible.
"Oh... Is that so?" Phillip's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he did as told.
A moment later, his expression shifted.
"Oh, it worked! Thank goodness!" Phillip exclaimed in relief as Philo appeared beside him, looking annoyed, as if disturbed from sleep.
"Well, start walking then, Beastmaster."
With that they resumed their march, and this time, they found a clear path leading out of the forest. In the horizon, Green Leaf Village came into view—a sign of human settlement after days of survival in the wild.
"Home! We are finally home!"
The five girls was overjoyed, their mind relaxing after all those tense moments.
Just as they were about to leave the Wild Forest, Phillip suddenly stopped.
The others turned to him with irritation.
"What now?" Kierra asked, furrowing her brows. The village was right there, and after everything they'd been through, she was eager to reach it. Phillip's sudden hesitation was incredibly frustrating.
"Sorry guys, I can't leave the forest yet," Phillip said calmly, looking at them. "I have some important business to take care of."
"What! You want to stay in the forest alone?" Kierra was in disbelief. "What important business could be worth risking your life? And don't you want to complete the quest?"
Victor frowned, staring at Phillip. What was going through this guy's head? The village was right there, safety within reach, yet he wanted to go back into the forest? It was ridiculously foolish.
"Sorry, I can't tell you right now. It's a secret," Phillip said with a mysterious smile. "Anyway, give me the map."
Kierra hesitated for a moment, her fingers tightening around the edges of the parchment. She clearly didn't like the idea of handing it over, but with a sigh, she relented and passed it to him. If he wanted to leave, there was no stopping him anyway.
"Alright, Raizel, Kierra, we'll meet again if fate wills it. Goodbye!"
With a casual wave, Phillip turned and disappeared into the dense woods, his figure quickly swallowed by the towering trees and thick undergrowth.
Victor watched him vanish before letting out a breath. "Relax. That guy surely has some means to protect himself. No point worrying about him unnecessarily. Maybe he has his own path to walk."
Kierra crossed her arms, still frowning in his direction, but eventually nodded. "Hmm, you're right, Raizel. Let's finish this quest and exit. I have some important work to take care of in the real world."
She turned toward the village and took the lead. The five girls, still quiet from everything they had been through, followed closely behind her, their eyes glancing around warily. Victor brought up the rear, his pace steady yet unhurried.
As he walked, he glanced back at the forest one last time, then ahead at their destination.
The golden rays of the late afternoon sun painted the open fields in warm hues, casting long shadows across the gently swaying grass. A well-trodden dirt path stretched ahead, bordered by patches of wildflowers and the occasional towering tree whose thick branches provided welcome shade from the scorching summer heat.
A warm breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying with it the rich scent of soil and fresh greenery.
Further ahead, beyond the rolling fields, Victor could make out neatly arranged plots of farmland—rows of golden corn swaying lazily in the wind and vast stretches of paddy fields reflecting the sunlight like liquid gold.
The sight was very peaceful, unlike the dangers lurking within the forest behind them. But Victor knew better than to let his guard down just yet.
With a quiet exhale, he pressed forward, following the group toward Green Leaf Village.