Leon walked through the dead forest, each step crunching on dry, lifeless dirt. Not a single bird cry. Not a breeze. Not even an insect. Just empty silence stretching endlessly between the skeletal trees.
âThis trial... I donât understand it. What is my goal? What am I supposedââ
*Break*
A sharp snap echoed behind himâthe clean sound of a stick cracking under weight.
Leon turned around immediately with a neutral expression on his face.
There he was again.
The same Snow Elf child, following him at a careful distance, half-hidden behind a tree trunk.
âWhat the hell is his problem? Why is he following me now ? Is he planning to kill me with a stick again ?â Leon thought and started walking toward the kid with an annoyed expression.
The moment the child saw Leon approaching, he panicked, spun around, and began walking awayâlike some awkward attempt at pretending he wasnât tailing him.
"Stop." Leonâs voice cut through the forest.
The elf child halted instantly and slowly turned back, staring at him with a neutral expression.
"Why are you following me ? Donât say you are not because I have seen you do it." Leon asked, face flat with confusion.
"You didnât kill me." The child said it with a blank, neutral expression.
"I can now..." Leon replied, hand sliding the sword halfway out of its sheath.
The child didnât flinch. Instead, he pulled out a dark, prism-shaped locket and held it up.
"Help me find my father. I will give you this." he spoke with a neutral expression.
Leon narrowed his eyes. "Whatâs that ? A rock ?"
"The core of a Gillian hound. If you eat this, you will become very powerful." He replied with a neutral expression.
Leon blinked with a confused expression. "Then why donât you eat it ?"
"My body canât handle all that power."
Leon clicked his tongue. âIf I help him find his father, maybe I can finally get some damn directions out of this endless tree graveyard. And itâs not like I have the system working for me right now... Haa... I thought this trial is going to be a fight to death or something.â He sighed.
"Where did you see your father last time?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"In that direction." The kid pointed north.
Leon nodded. "Okay, so if we keep heading inâ"
"No wait... I think it was that direction." He pointed south this time with the same confused expression.
Leon stared at him. "...You donât have any idea where you saw him, do you ?"
"No." The child admitted, shoulders dropping with regret.
"Keep following me then..." Leon turned around and started walking north anyway.
The kid followed quietly at his side, step after step, saying nothing.
Twenty three minutes later...
"Whatâs your name ?" Leon asked without looking at him.
"Ju-ilo."
"Why are you saying your name in two separate words?" Leon raised a brow as he continued to scan the environment around him.
"The first two letters of my fatherâs name and last three letters of my motherâs name." Ju-ilo explained.
"I see." Leon shrugged. "Whatever works."
Ju-ilo hesitated. "Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did." Leon replied with a neutral expression.
"Two more questions?"
Leon sighed. "Go on. I donât exactly have anything better to do right now."
"How did you kill that ghost hound without using magic ?" Ju-ilo asked with a curious expression.
"With my sword." Leon replied with a neutral expression.
"So you canât use magâ"
"Shhhhh..." Leon immediately pressed two fingers to his lips, signaling him to stop.
Creak...
Both of them froze.
Then both of them felt it, The bloodlust. They turned back-to-back.
Step-step-step-step-step...
âI can hear it. Somethingâs walking. But I canât see a damn thing in view.â Leon pulled the nyxter free, his expression sharpening.
"Radal..." Ju-ilo whispered, his eyes narrowing.
"What ?" Leon kept scanning the empty forest.
"Itâs a Radal. They can turn invisible for a short time. They always try to catch you from behind and enjoy eating you alive."
Ju-ilo grabbed a stick and held it like a blade.
Thenâ
Silence.
The footsteps stopped completely and silence covered the environment.
"It will jump now... DODGE!" Ju-ilo shouted and immediately threw himself to the ground.
"Garrwwwwwww!"
A massive blur erupted to Leonâs right and launched at him.
"Fuckâ!" Leon ducked and spun aside, feeling claws slice the air where his head had been. When he turned backâ
Gone.
The creature turned invisible again.
Step-step-step-stepâ
âIf only I had my skills...â Leon strained his ears, trying to catch the exact direction.
Thenâ
A voice whispered inside his mind.
âIf youâre trying to listen to its footsteps... then listen properly. Close your eyes. You wonât see it anyway with open eyes.â
Leon froze.
âWhite Fox...?â he asked silently in his mind.
âThe sword will guide you.â
The voice faded like mist.
âFucking hell...â Leon exhaled slowly, closed his eyes, and tightened his grip on the nyxter.
Step-step-step-step-step...
"Run! Run, what are you doing!?" Ju-ilo yelled from a distance, voice shaking. Fear twisted the kidâs face.
But Leon only listenedâfocusedâfollowed the sound.
The steps suddenly stopped.
âRight behind me...â
Leonâs eyes snapped open.
He twisted the hilt sideways.
"LAST RISE... FULL MOON!"
He spun the sword in a perfect semi-circular arc, turning with it.
The moment he pivoted, the Radal appearedâits black, bear-like body materializing out of nowhere, crouched inches behind him.
Its eyes widened, caught in the hypnotic sweep of the swordâs afterimages.
Thenâ
The stance broke.
The Radal snapped out of the trance and reacted instantly.
Tang!
It slammed its claws forward, sacrificing them to soften the blow. The nyxter sliced through the claws but only carved halfway through its neckâdeep, bloody, fatal, but not enough to kill instantly.
âFucking hell... heâs too fast toââ
Leon didnât get to finish the thought.
The Radal immediately raised its other arm, claws slashing toward Leonâs legs.
He knewâinstantlyâthat dodging was impossible.
Leonâs eyes widened.
"Fuck me." He shut his eyes, bracing for impact.
Swish
THUD