'A talking locust? Telepathy? That was impossible.'
Isaac stiffened as the locust shifted on his shoulder.
Then, suddenly, the system notification flashed in his vision.
[New Skill Unlocked: Swarm Authority]
[You have awakened the remnants of the Forgotten Swarm. Command is required.]
Isaac's breath hitched. His fingers clenched around his axe. "What the hell is this…?"
Before he could process it, a loud buzzing filled the air.
He looked up.
Dark clouds didn't cover the sky. It was something worse.
A massive swarm of locusts appeared out of nowhere, moving like a living storm. Their sheer numbers blotted out the morning sun, casting shadows over the battlefield.
Then, without warning, the swarm stopped.
They hovered above the battlefield, as if waiting.
Waiting for something.
Isaac's pulse pounded in his ears. His gaze flickered back to the system notification still lingering in his vision.
[Command is required.]
His throat felt dry. 'Did this mean… I had to give them an order?'
His grip tightened on his weapon. He didn't fully understand what was happening, but he didn't have time to hesitate. The soldiers were still coming. Aiah and the others were still escaping.
Isaac took a deep breath.
He had no idea how this worked, but he didn't need to overthink it. He just needed them to stop the soldiers.
He exhaled sharply and focused.
"Attack!"
The instant the word left his mouth, the swarm surged forward, intercepting the advancing soldiers.
Screams erupted as hundreds, no, thousands of locusts crashed into the soldiers. The insects swarmed over armor, slipped into gaps, and bit at exposed skin. Horses reared in terror, throwing their riders before bolting.
Isaac stood frozen, watching the chaos unfold.
Once again, the system notification flashed before his eyes.
[Skill Progression Activated: Swarm Authority – Beginner Level.]
The swarm is weak, mostly a distraction. Can only command them in simple ways but cannot deal real damage.
Isaac barely had time to process the new message before something shifted inside him. A strange familiarity. Like this wasn't new at all.
As if the other half of him had done this before.
But as Isaac watched, the locusts weren't killing them. They weren't tearing through flesh.
The locust on his shoulder fluttered its wings. "Master, Swarm Authority is at its lowest level. We cannot kill. Not yet. You must take this chance and escape."
Isaac hesitated. He had too many questions. What was this power? What was this swarm? Who was the being he had made a deal with?
The locust seemed to sense his thoughts.
"I will not vanish. You can summon me anytime," it said. "Just give me a name."
Isaac blinked. "A name?"
"Yes. A name binds us."
He hesitated for a moment. Then, almost without thinking, he muttered, "Hopper."
The locust paused, as if considering the name. Then, it twitched its wings.
"Hopper. Acceptable."
With that, Hopper leaped from Isaac's shoulder and joined the swarm, disappearing into the chaos.
Another system notification appeared.
[You have named your first Swarm Guardian: Hopper.]
[Swarm Authority Level: 2% Points]
Isaac clenched his fists.
He still had no answers. But for now… he had to escape.
With one last glance at the battlefield, he turned and ran.
—------
The battlefield was chaos.
Soldiers screamed as the locusts swarmed them, biting, clawing, crawling into armor and helmets. Weapons slashed through the air, but the insects moved too fast. The sky darkened, turning the rising sun into a mere glow behind the storm of wings.
General Broner gritted his teeth, gripping his sword. He had fought countless battles, against mages, beasts, and warriors. But this? This was different.
"This is…" His voice trailed off, his hands tightening on the reins. His mind raced back to old legends, whispered in the halls of the palace. A swarm of locusts bringing destruction. A force that once followed…
"No. It can't be."
A soldier stumbled toward him, panic in his eyes. "General! This isn't natural! This is divine punishment!" He turned, voice shaking. "We should run."
Broner's glare snapped to him. "Hold your ground, fool!"
But not everyone listened. Some soldiers threw down their weapons and fled, their screams fading into the distance. Others, still holding onto reason, raised their weapons.
"It's just a spell! A powerful one, but still magic!" one shouted. "Fight through it!"
Spears thrust into the swarm. Swords slashed wildly. But the locusts kept coming.
Broner's gaze locked onto the figure retreating in the distance, Isaac. His jaw tightened.
His grip firmed around his sword as he watched the locusts overwhelm his men. 'This was no ordinary swarm. This was something out of legend.
But legends or not, fire burned all insects.'
He snapped his head toward his officers. "Light the torches! Burn them!"
The order rang across the battlefield. Soldiers scrambled, some pulling out flint and steel, others grabbing torches from their packs. Sparks flew. Flames flickered to life.
The moment the first torch blazed, the locusts reacted. They hissed, not like insects, but something more… aware. The swarm shifted, moving faster, angrier.
Broner smirked. "That's right. Let's see how strong you are in the fire."
The soldiers, emboldened, swung their burning torches, sweeping them through the air. Some locusts caught fire, their small bodies curling into ash. The swarm pulsed, retreating slightly, but not breaking.
—-----
After a tense journey, Aiah, Elder Peter, and the others finally arrived at the camp.
The moment Didi spotted his sister, his eyes widened with relief. Without hesitation, he ran toward her, his small legs carrying him as fast as they could.
"Aiah!"
His voice cracked as he leaped into her arms, gripping her tightly. His tiny hands balled into fists against her back as he sobbed into her shoulder.
Aiah knelt down, holding him close, her fingers running through his messy hair. "I'm here, Didi," she whispered. "It's okay now."
For a moment, the camp was silent. No one dared to interrupt the siblings as Didi clung to Aiah, crying into her embrace. She rocked him gently, murmuring soft words of comfort.
Then, murmurs started to spread.
"They're back…"
Everyone stared in disbelief at the returning group. These were the people they had assumed they would never see again. Yet here they are, returned from captivity.
Then Elder Peter spoke, his voice calm but firm.
"It was Isaac who saved us."
A heavy silence followed.
The ones who had mocked him, the thin man, the one-armed survivor, the high-forehead man, all exchanged uneasy glances.
The thin man swallowed hard. "He actually did it?" His voice wavered, as if he still couldn't believe it.
The high-forehead man clenched his jaw, staring at the rescued group. "But… how?"
They had called Isaac foolish. Suicidal. Pathetic. Yet here was the proof. He had walked into a camp full of trained soldiers… and returned their people alive.
The thin man glanced at Ben. Unlike the others, Ben showed no shock. No disbelief.
He simply exhaled, shaking his head with a knowing look.
"I told you," Ben muttered.
Before anyone could process his words, Aiah straightened and spoke, her voice firm.
"Isaac only bought us time. The soldiers will come for us again."
Her words hit like a hammer.
Panic spread through the camp like wildfire. The rescued villagers, still shaken, clung to their families. Survivors whispered among themselves, their voices filled with fear.
Ben furrowed his brows. "Then what do we do? We can't stay here."
A tense silence followed.
"There's no other way," Elder Peter finally said. "We either go back the way we came and hope the soldiers aren't there…"
"Or we go deeper into the Dudael Forest."
At that, several people stiffened.
"The deeper parts of the forest…?" a woman whispered, eyes widening.
"That's suicide!" another man snapped.
Aiah clenched her fists. She knew why they were afraid. The Dudael Forest wasn't an ordinary forest, it was a place of legends and nightmares.
"The Dudael Forest is divided into four cores," Elder Peter explained, his tone grave. "We are currently at the outer boundary, the safest area."
"But if we go deeper…" Aiah took over, her voice steady. "The Fourth Core has low-rank monsters and beasts. Dangerous, but nothing we can't handle."
She hesitated before continuing. "The Third Core, however, is home to Class A and B creatures. If we go there, we will face monsters stronger than most of us."
Murmurs of concern spread through the group.
"The Second Core…" Elder Peter's expression darkened. "Class A and even some Class S creatures roam freely there. Only the strongest warriors dare enter."
Silence fell.
But then, a shaky voice broke it.
"What about the First Core?"
No one spoke for a moment.
Aiah exhaled slowly. "No one knows for sure," she admitted. "No one who entered ever returned."
Some believed that only solid S-rank monsters lived there. Others whispered of creatures even beyond that, beings so powerful they had no rank at all.
It was a land of the unknown.
A man swallowed hard. "So… if we go deeper, we could end up walking straight into our deaths."
Elder Peter nodded grimly. "Yes."
Panic flared again. People began talking at once, their voices rising.
"What do we do?!"
"There's no way out!"
"We're trapped!"
Aiah looked at Elder Peter. They needed a decision, fast.
Then, suddenly, a voice cut through the chaos.
"We will go to the forest."
The crowd fell silent. All eyes turned.
Isaac stood at the edge of the camp.