Their footsteps moved slowly forward along the narrow trail, enclosed by towering trees and tangled vines.
Every step was cautious, no one dared to make a sound too loud, no one dared to let their guard down, even for a moment.
They didn't know much about this forest.
No one knew how far it stretched, what lurked within, or whether they could make it out safely.
Beneath the dense canopy, sunlight was choked off, with only faint rays managing to filter through the layers of leaves, casting flickering light upon the forest floor, littered with decayed leaves, damp moss, and twisted roots that curled like sleeping serpents.
Ren walked with his notebook open, letting the murmurs of the forest surround him.
His fingers traced the pages, his eyes scanning the lines of text and sketches, searching for any hint about this terrain.
But the more he flipped through, the more disappointment settled in. There were no detailed maps of this region.
His brows furrowed.
The air was growing heavier, thick with moisture.
Something unseen lingered in the atmosphere, making their skin feel sticky and uncomfortable.
The scent of damp earth, foliage, and decay hung in the air, blending with an eerie sensation, as if the entire forest was watching them.
At the very least, Ren had found some useful information.
Lowering the notebook, his deep voice cut through the silence.
"Be careful." His grip on the notebook tightened unconsciously, eyes flickering toward his two companions. "Stay away from dense bushes. There's a high chance that monsters are hiding inside."
Even if he hadn't found a clear path, he had learned something crucial about the monsters here.
Little Nepenthes.
The name might be misleading, but he wouldn't be fooled by the word Little.
These predators stood at a menacing one and a half meters tall. Their lower bodies had no defined shape, just a mass of tangled roots that latched onto the ground, allowing them to move smoothly and silently, like specters in the dark.
Above their body extended two long vines, each ending in razor-sharp leaves that could lash down and pierce flesh in an instant.
At their center gaped a deep crimson mouth, oozing a viscous liquid that dripped slowly, drop by drop, onto the forest floor.
Little Nepenthes had three distinct variations.
The most common were standard Nepenthes, lacking any unique traits beyond their inherent lethality.
They lurked in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike with their deadly vines and terrifying speed.
The second variant bore a distinguishing mark, a deep red flower blooming atop its head.
When defeated, they occasionally dropped a rare item: Little Nepenthes's Ovule, which typically only appeared when players were assigned specific quests involving these monsters.
Encountering them naturally in the wild was extremely rare.
The third type, far more concerning, had a glowing red sphere in place of a flower. If it sustained damage…
Ren's thoughts halted. His eyes locked onto the next line in the notebook.
The sphere will release a scent…
"Wait…"
Yuna's voice broke through his concentration. She hesitated slightly, as if unsure of what she had just noticed.
"The mist… is getting thicker?"
Ren's head snapped up.
He glanced at Nautilus, catching the same furrowed brows and cautious expression mirrored on his face.
Then both of them slowly turned in the direction Yuna was pointing…
No.
It wasn't just the mist.
The trees around them… were becoming denser.
"Get ready for battle!" Ren's voice sharpened as a surge of unease coursed through him. His gaze swept across the area. "The Little Nepenthes… they've surrounded us."
The air felt colder. Or was that just his imagination?
Ren instinctively lowered his stance, fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword, every sense on high alert.
Even though these predators made no sound, he could feel them. Their HP bars flickered faintly beyond the mist, shifting between the thick tree trunks like silent phantoms waiting to strike.
Five of them.
They stood motionless in the shadows, their plant-like bodies blending into the surroundings. But Ren knew, one wrong step, one moment of carelessness, and those vines would lash out like whips, slashing through flesh without hesitation.
Their twisted roots anchored them firmly to the ground, making them sluggish in movement, but that also meant they were incredibly difficult to topple.
On their smooth, glistening bodies, the vines began to sway ever so slightly, producing almost no sound.
Yet the razor-sharp leaves at their tips gleamed with a faint, cold sheen in the dim forest light, like knives silently sharpening in the darkness, poised to strike at any moment.
Ren had no intention of letting them attack first.
Without a second of hesitation, he lunged forward.
A powerful slash tore through the air with astonishing speed, aiming straight for the nearest one. But just as the blade was about to reach the dark green, plant-like hide, the creature suddenly recoiled, like a beast instinctively reacting to danger.
Its tangled roots abruptly tightened against the ground, dragging its entire body backward with incredible speed.
Ren's eyes widened.
His sharp blade only grazed the edge of its body, leaving behind a shallow cut. A few red pixel fragments shattered and dissolved into the air.
Immediately, the monster retaliated.
A thick vine lashed out with immense force, aiming straight for Ren's side. He twisted his body to dodge, but before he could fully react, another vine from the second creature swung at him from a blind spot.
A sharp pain suddenly flared up from his left arm. His HP dropped slightly.
Gritting his teeth, Ren quickly stepped back, his eyes scanning the situation.
"They react faster than I expected..." he muttered, fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword, his gaze never leaving the Nepenthes slowly closing in, suffocating them in a tightening circle.
He glanced at Yuna and Nautilus.
Yuna had drawn her short sword, but her grip was so tight that her knuckles had turned pale, her eyes darting between the dark figures surrounding them.
Nautilus stood slightly hunched, his body tense, his eyes rapidly scanning the monsters as if searching for an opening to strike.
None of them attacked first.
Not because of hesitation… but because all three understood that this fight would not be as simple as it seemed.
"Try to protect yourselves… I'll handle the rest…"
Ren's voice trailed off, as if he wasn't entirely sure whether he could actually do it. But right now, there was no other choice.
The shadowy figures, about chest-height, slowly emerged from the mist, their twisted bodies swaying slightly with the forest's breath.
A chilling sensation crept down Ren's spine as his eyes swept over the floating HP bars above the monsters, their dull colors signaling the lurking danger.
[Little Nepenthes]
Lv.4
[Little Nepenthes]
Lv.3
[Little Nepenthes]
Lv.4
[Little Nepenthes]
Lv.2
[Little Nepenthes]
Lv.2
Five of them.
None of them were weak.
Their tangled roots dug deep into the ground, anchoring their bodies in a predatory stance.
Their vines twitched, and the sharp-edged leaves gleamed faintly with an eerie green glow, like dozens of blades being sharpened in the darkness.
Ren took a deep breath, relaxed his shoulders, and subtly shifted his stance, lowering his center of gravity to prepare for the first strike.
His breathing gradually slowed, but his heartbeat pounded so fiercely that he could feel it hammering against his ribs.
Behind him, Yuna and Nautilus remained frozen in place.
No one moved.
Neither did the Nepenthes.
The air thickened with unbearable tension.
Who would make the first move?
Ren swallowed hard, a faint, uneasy smile tugging at his lips.
"…Let's hope so."
Before anyone could react, a chorus of whiplike snaps echoed through the mist as countless vines lashed out with terrifying force.
They tore through the air, slicing through the dense fog with a deafening screech, carving deadly green streaks into the damp night.
"Dodge!"
Ren lunged forward just as the massive whips struck the spot where he had stood. A moment too late, and they would have coiled around him, dragging him into the suffocating darkness of the forest mist.
But he didn't hesitate.
His body tilted, his feet shifting with precise agility.
One step, two steps, a perfect sidestep. He slipped between the rain of deadly lashes, feeling the icy wind whistle past his ears.
Slash!
His sword gleamed for a split second. A silver arc cut through the mist, flashing like lightning in a raging storm.
A vine was severed. Its tip writhed violently, oozing a thick, sticky fluid before dissolving into red pixel fragments.
But there was no time to pause.
Because...
They weren't stopping.
More vines lunged at him from all directions, like crazed serpents eager to ensnare their prey.
One, two, three, all striking at once, turning the air around him into a death trap of writhing, natural blades.
Ren gritted his teeth, muscles tensing as he braced for the next attack.
A sharp chill shot up his spine.
Without thinking, he threw himself out of the way.
Splatter!
A slimy substance splashed onto the exact spot he had been standing a second ago.
The surrounding leaves immediately bubbled, their once-vibrant green dissolving into charred, blackened patches, releasing a foul, acrid stench into the air.
Ren crouched low, eyes locked onto the monster in front of him.
'Corrosive spit… faster than I thought.'