Max headed in the same direction as the girl. No one questioned anything, and before he knew it, the vehicle and everyone else were long gone—swallowed by the fog.
"I'll take that as a yes?" the girl asked, not turning around.
Max chuckled lightly. The deeper they went, the denser the forest became. Trees grew taller, and the bushes thickened. "You didn't tell me your name."
"Anna," she replied coldly.
"I'm Max," he said, slightly hesitant. "What did you mean earlier—about my abilities being useful?"
"Is that important?" Anna asked flatly.
Max didn't reply. He had no intention of relying on anyone else to pass this test.
He pulled the military dagger from his back. With all his other belongings confiscated, he was left with just his clothes and a few protein bars.
As they continued into the forest, Max made sure to leave marks on nearby trees with the dagger. Anna led the way, clearing thick bushes as they went. Both were lost in thought. The deeper they ventured, the more suffocating the forest became. Trees were spaced barely a meter apart, and strange, tall grasses brushed against Max's knees.
The path was thorny, and Max was starting to struggle. His shoes weren't military-grade; they barely protected his legs. Meanwhile, Anna walked comfortably ahead.
"We've been walking for an hour…" Max muttered, stopping briefly. Anna turned back but said nothing.
Max pointed at a tree next to him, where a dagger scratch was etched above shoulder height. Anna looked, then narrowed her eyes. "We've been walking in a loop!"
That was an understatement. The forest looked almost identical everywhere, and the fog made visibility worse.
A droplet fell—then another. In moments, rain began to pour relentlessly. Max looked up. The trees were so tall they disappeared into the mist. He couldn't even see their tops.
"This test is tougher than I expected…" Anna began to say, but Max hushed her sharply. His ears picked something up. He stood alert.
Anna scanned their surroundings but saw and heard nothing—only the falling rain.
"Woosh!"
Out of nowhere, a projectile tore through the air—then two more followed. Max reacted instantly, dodging the wooden arrows. Anna wasn't as lucky.
"Argh!" she groaned in pain as an arrow pierced through her side. She ducked behind a tree, yanking it out. The wound wasn't deep—but it burned like hell.
"Screech! Screech!!"
Shrill cries echoed from behind the trees. Max's eyes darted toward them—small, humanoid creatures were emerging from cover, holding primitive bows.
"Why didn't you warn me?!" Anna yelled.
Max was equally baffled. "I didn't even sense anything!"
Anna's jaw clenched. She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, her pupils glowed with a radiant blue light.
"Three behind that tree. One's charging at you!" she called out. "Basic-tier monsters. Probably goblins!"
Max's grip tightened on his dagger. Goblins? Aren't they supposed to appear only inside dungeons?
He'd read about these creatures before—but seeing one up close was a different story.
"Screech!!"
A figure leaped at Max, but he easily dodged it.
"Too slow," Max muttered, getting a better look. The creature was frail and small, like a malnourished child. Its green skin clung to bone, its eyes yellow, its teeth jagged.
It lunged again. Max evaded the dagger slash and deflected another arrow.
Way slower than dungeon monsters...
"What are you doing?! Kill that thing!" Anna shouted.
Max looked at her, blankly. In three months of training, he'd focused solely on enhancing his body and dodging attacks. But killing? He'd never done it.
He swung his dagger at the goblin's throat. The blade connected—but barely left a mark.
"Dumbass!" Anna snapped.
BAM!
A military-grade black dagger pierced the goblin's head, dropping it instantly. Max blinked.
Anna had thrown it.
She dashed from behind the tree, dodging arrows, retrieving the dagger, and sprinting straight toward the archers. Her movement was sharp and unpredictable—zigzagging between trees.
Damn! Max thought, watching her in action. She doesn't look that strong… but how the hell did she pierce a goblin's skull with just a throw?!
Before he could recover from the shock, two more shrieks rang out. Max looked up—the archers were all dead.
Anna didn't stop. She stabbed her dagger into a goblin corpse and pulled out a small violet crystal from its chest. She glanced sideways at Max, clearly expecting him to do the same.
Max forced a smile. He crouched beside the dead goblin and stabbed into its chest. Thick, black blood spurted from the body, splashing on his face.
He almost gagged but managed to hold it in. Taking a deep breath, Max closed his eyes, then dug his hand into the slit. He fumbled around inside until he grasped something solid.
When he opened his eyes again, his hand was drenched in black ooze—clutching a coin-sized, dark violet crystal.
So this is what they call a monster crystal? Max didn't know whether to be thrilled or disgusted. He wiped his hands and the crystal on the grass, then shoved it into his bag.
Anna stood in front of Max, her cold gaze fixed on him like she was blaming him for something. Max looked back innocently, as if to ask, What did I do?
"We need to figure out a way to stop looping around," she said, glancing at the trees. Max was reminded—the goblins weren't the real problem.
"Let's try one more time," Max said. Anna didn't have a better idea, so they pressed on.
This time, Max made double cuts in the trees—arrow-shaped marks pointing forward. For the next half hour, they walked in silence until Max spotted a familiar tree.
"Shit—we're looping again!" Max cursed. There was no mistake. It was the same arrow mark he had carved earlier.
"But we didn't even turn…" Anna gritted her teeth. "What's even happening?"
She closed her eyes and reopened them—her pupils glowing faintly with a blue light. She looked around carefully, but didn't say anything.
Max rubbed his chin. This wasn't coincidence. It had to be part of the trial.
Anna studied the same mark. Both stood still, realization creeping in. With no sense of direction or time—and visibility worsened by rain and fog—they were completely disoriented.
Worse, the ground was getting soft and slippery. Max had a bad feeling.
"I'll take the lead this time," he said, pushing ahead. Anna didn't object and silently followed.
Just a few minutes in, Max's ears picked up movement. He raised a hand, silently signaling Anna.
Swishh!A flurry of arrows shot past, but they were already behind cover.
Schreechh!!Another goblin group lunged out. Anna charged first, and Max flanked from the opposite side.
Three goblins.
Max sprinted toward one of the archers, tackled it to the ground, and stabbed his dagger into its chest.
Schreech!!
The goblin shrieked—it wasn't dead yet. Max gritted his teeth, shoved his hand into the wound, and yanked the crystal from its chest.
It felt savage—like something an animal would do. But it wasn't the hardest part.
"If we keep this up, we'll eventually get tired and die," Max muttered, wiping his hands in the wet grass before storing the crystal.
Anna nodded. She looked worse than Max, still bleeding from her side, with no way to stop it.
Time was the enemy now.
"The sun's not visible and we can't see a damn thing. How does the military navigate in conditions like this?" Max asked aloud.
"Normally?" Anna replied. "Explorers rely on birds or other animals… even ants. They usually lead toward a river."
That clicked something in Max's mind. She was right—many animals had a natural sense of direction.
But in this rain, there were no birds. No signs of wildlife at all.
"I think I've got a plan," Max said with a grin. He rubbed his nose and started walking. "Just follow me."
Anna didn't ask questions. She followed quietly.
Another thirty minutes passed, and everything felt like déjà vu—they were still moving through the same-looking terrain.
Then, movement.
Max froze behind a tree. Anna followed suit.
Another barrage of arrows came at them.
Max was first to react. "Save one goblin—don't kill it!"
Anna instantly understood. She charged and took out one goblin cleanly with a well-thrown dagger.
Meanwhile, Max dealt with the second. He rushed forward, tackled it, and rubbed his dagger across its neck until the creature stopped twitching.
He didn't bother retrieving the crystal.
Instead, he darted toward the last one and stabbed it in the back. The goblin screamed, flailing and slashing wildly.
Max kept cutting—another strike to its leg, another to its side.
Schreechh!!The goblin howled, then threw a dagger at Max in desperation.
Max crossed his arms, blocking the blow.
But it was just the opening the goblin needed—it turned and bolted into the forest.
"It's running!" Anna shouted.
"I know," Max replied calmly, watching the thick trail of blood it left behind. "And that's why we're going to follow it."
"Intresting" Anna replied coldly.