Yuna let out a relieved breath as the Little Nepenthes disintegrated into hundreds of glowing red pixel shards, lingering in the air like tiny sparks before vanishing completely.
She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, trying to steady her rapid breathing caused by tension. Her body ached, her arms and legs felt like they could collapse at any moment, but at the very least… she was still standing.
Ever since she had been separated from Ren and Nautilus, Yuna had traversed several areas of the forest alone.
The path she took was anything but peaceful. Shadows slithered out from between tree trunks, crimson HP bars flickered in the dense fog, and she had long since lost count of how many times she had swung her sword. All she knew was that every battle was a desperate struggle between life and death.
Her movements gradually became smoother. Her legs no longer tangled when dodging, and her sword strikes became sharper, stronger.
Her heart no longer pounded wildly in panic, and her breath no longer hitched whenever her blade sliced through the slimy bark of the Nepenthes.
But Yuna knew all too well, the reason she had survived this long wasn't because she had suddenly become significantly stronger.
It was because… the monsters weren't focused on her.
Every single Little Nepenthes she had encountered thus far had rushed off in the same direction, barely acknowledging her presence.
They slithered across the ground, weaving through tangled roots, disappearing into the mist ahead like moths drawn to a flame.
Their aggression wasn't directed at her.
They were converging somewhere else.
A chill ran down Yuna's spine.
As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew they wouldn't all be gravitating toward a single point without a reason.
Someone was there. Someone was fighting.
It could be Ren and Nautilus.
It could be… another player.
It could be something else entirely.
She clenched her sword tighter, biting her lower lip. The images of her two companions flashed through her mind.
If they were surrounded by monsters, how long could they hold out?
Yuna didn't know.
But she knew one thing… she couldn't just stand here.
She swallowed dryly, her throat parched as she gazed in the direction where the Nepenthes had disappeared into the thick fog.
They weren't running away.
They were swarming toward something, toward someone.
This wasn't the frantic escape of weak creatures fleeing from a stronger foe. It wasn't a scattered retreat like a herd of beasts being driven apart by an ambush.
They were moving with terrifying urgency, as if an unseen force was pulling them toward a single target. Something… or someone.
And what if that place was where Ren or Nautilus were fighting?
The thought made Yuna's palms slick with sweat.
She was afraid.
Not of getting hurt. Not of dying.
But of being too late.
Of arriving only to find the aftermath of a bloody battle. Of seeing nothing left but glowing red pixels fading away, vanishing as if they had never existed.
A part of her screamed to be cautious, to wait.
She was just a small girl who had only just begun to learn how to fight, what could she possibly do? What if the threat ahead was far greater than just a few Nepenthes…?
What if it was something much worse?
She should turn back, seek help. She should stop and think carefully before throwing herself into a fight she wasn't sure she could survive.
But another part of her, a stubborn flame that had never been extinguished, burned even brighter.
If she hesitated now, if she turned her back at this moment, then what was the point of all the effort she had made to come this far?
She didn't want to be someone who only watched from a distance again. She didn't want to tremble behind others, only to regret later that she had done nothing.
Clenching her sword so tightly that her knuckles turned white, Yuna gritted her teeth, forcing herself to push past her fear.
Whether she was ready or not, the battle was just ahead.
And this time, she wouldn't run away.
Summoning every ounce of courage, she spun around and dashed in the direction where the monsters had disappeared.
Every step sent dry twigs crunching beneath her boots, their brittle sounds swallowed by the cold, suffocating atmosphere.
Decayed leaves clung to her pants, stray roots reached out from the ground like skeletal fingers trying to hold her back, but she didn't stop.
The thick mist brushed against her skin, cold and heavy, obscuring her vision, but she didn't slow down.
The further she ran, the clearer the sounds became…
The clash of metal.
The sharp whistle of blades slicing through the air.
The shrieks and growls of monsters.
And the sound of someone fighting.
Yuna's heart pounded in her chest, her breaths growing more ragged with every step.
Who was it? Ren? Nautilus? Someone else? She didn't know, but she couldn't stop now.
She charged forward, weaving through the suffocating mist that clung to her like unseen tendrils, slithering over her skin, slipping beneath her clothes, trying to pull her back, but she didn't stop.
The battle sounds were close now. The clang of clashing swords, the wet, sickening noise of blades slicing through monster flesh, the labored breathing of someone locked in combat, the guttural roars of the Nepenthes.
Her heart pounded even harder. Nautilus? Ren? Someone else?
It didn't matter.
She had to get there.
She had to help.
But...
Just as she leapt past a massive tangle of roots, Yuna's steps came to a halt.
Not because she tripped. Not because her body had reached its limit.
But because…
A chilling sensation ran down her spine, as if an invisible breeze had just brushed against the nape of her neck—but there was no wind here.
Goosebumps erupted across her arms. A shiver clenched her throat.
It wasn't the sound of her own footsteps.
It wasn't the sound of monsters fighting.
It was…
Breathing.
Soft.
Long.
Slow.
Ragged.
Right by her ear.
As if something was standing directly behind her.
Yuna froze.
For a brief moment, she didn't dare move, didn't dare turn around, didn't dare breathe too hard.
But her instincts screamed… Run!
She spun around.
And came face-to-face with something that shouldn't be here.
A vine, its triangular leaves razor-sharp like knives, suddenly slashed through the mist, cutting across right in front of Yuna's face. It was so fast, just a slight misstep, and it could have carved deep into her flesh.
She jerked back on instinct, every muscle tensed, her breath catching in her throat.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, but the thick fog swallowed each beat, making them feel strangely heavy.
No time to react. No time to think.
Just a second ago, this place was nothing more than a maze of roots, silent except for the distant echoes of battle.
But now…
Something had appeared.
That vine.
It wasn't just a plant.
It moved.
It lived.
Yuna swallowed dryly, the cold seeping through every gap in her armor, crawling down her spine like an invisible hand brushing against her skin. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword, knuckles turning white.
Her vision was suffocated by the dense mist, but that feeling of being watched lingered, hovering over her skin, slipping into every breath, like thousands of invisible needles pricking at her.
Then...
Another vine shot out from the darkness.
This time, it aimed straight for her legs.
Yuna jumped.
Her boots left the ground for a split second, her body twisting midair, sword swinging instinctively, the steel edge slicing through the vine's green flesh.
No blood.
Only a severed piece of plant, flung to the ground like a snake cut in half.
But she had no time to be relieved.
A rustling sound began to rise.
At first, just a few faint noises.
Then more.
And more.
From within the mist.
From behind the trees.
From beneath the ground.
They weren't alone.
The darkness shivered.
Vines slithered through the fog like writhing serpents, their blade-like leaves trembling, as if sensing the presence of prey.
They wove through the massive roots, coiling around tree trunks, creeping over broken branches, tightening the space around Yuna, slowly, steadily, closing in.
She tensed, narrowing her eyes, straining to see beyond the suffocating mist.
The air grew heavy.
Then.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled.
It wasn't like the Little Nepenthes she had seen before. Not at all.
It was heavier. Deeper. It made the ground tremble.
There was no doubt now, this wasn't just a swarm of ordinary Nepenthes.
She swallowed hard, her foot stepping back instinctively.
And then, it emerged.
The ground cracked open. A massive plant-like creature slowly rose from the earth, its bark-like skin wrinkled like aged flesh, covered in patches of moss and lichen.
At the center of its trunk, a giant mouth gaped open.
No...
Not a mouth. A flower?
No.
Teeth.
Petal-shaped fangs, layered upon one another, growing smaller as they spiraled inward, as if anything that fell inside would be crushed without mercy.
A wave of nausea surged in her throat.
But she had no time to dwell on it...
Because right above its head.
Three HP bars.
Yellow.
Glowing in the darkness.
With a single name.
[LARGE NEPENTS]
This wasn't just a normal monster.
A Mini Boss.
Yuna tightened her grip on her sword, the suffocating pressure crashing down as if the air itself had been sucked away.
Sinister vines sprouted from its body, slithering across the ground, twisting like waiting tentacles. Some of them still bore the fresh cuts from her sword earlier, but...
They were healing.
Regeneration.
Her eyes widened.
Damn it.
Before she could react.
A barrage of vines lunged from all directions.
Left.
Right.
Above.
No way out.