The Corina retinue, with the young Elisha and the even younger Nerion in tow, ventured into the Radon Woods as the first tendrils of dawn painted the sky. The moment they crossed the treeline, the air grew heavy, damp, and cool, a stark contrast to the open plains they had just left. Overhead, a colossal, gnarled canopy of ancient trees blotted out much of the sunlight, creating an eternal twilight. Throughout the forest, silver, faintly glowing vines draped themselves across moss-covered trunks, their ethereal luminescence hinting at the potent Natural Energy that permeated every inch of this magical wilderness. It was Nerion, small but remarkably alert, who confidently led the way, navigating paths only he seemed to instinctively know.

  Julieta, perched uncomfortably in a small, ornate saddle within a well-appointed carriage, grimaced. "It smells of damp moss and common mud," she complained, her voice carrying a hint of aristocratic disdain. "And your guidance is far too slow, boy. Are you certain you truly know the way?"

  "I know the safest way, Princess," Nerion retorted, not bothering to turn around. "The quickest way leads right past a den of Rank 5 Beasts. Captain Lykos could perhaps survive fighting a thousand of them, but you'd still be late for dinner."

  "Do not provoke the Lady, Nerion," Elisha warned gently, sensing Julieta's rising pique.

  Julieta's cheeks flushed, a mixture of annoyance and pride. "A Rank 5 Beast is equivalent to a TAO Legate or a TIMBER Arch-Magus, according to my tutors. I have diligently studied the threat matrices. My party contains more than enough strength to defeat them; we have little to fear from mere animals."

  Nerion scoffed, kicking a pebble with casual insolence. "You only know half the story, Ugly Girl! What good is your dusty book knowledge if you don't understand the real danger here?"

  Julieta immediately bristled, her carefully cultivated composure cracking. "I have received a proper education! Magical Beasts are ranked from 1 to 9 based on their threat level and power. Their bones, teeth, and hide are highly prized materials for crafting powerful weapons and enchanted armours, and their flesh is a coveted tonic for cultivation, enhancing one's spiritual energy!"

  Elisha intervened, his tone soft but firm. "Lady Julieta’s knowledge is correct, but perhaps a touch incomplete. What makes a beast truly dangerous is that their energy is purely natural, uncorrupted by human intent or cultivation methods. A Master or Grandmaster’s Qi is the perfect tonic for their advancement, allowing them to rapidly grow stronger. Even a Rank 3 beast is often more lethal than a human Centurion of equal raw strength, simply because we are, to them, their greatest resource, a walking feast of cultivated energy."

  Manke, walking with a quiet, measured tread beside the carriage, nodded in agreement. "Furthermore, the sheer Natural Energy saturation here in the Radon Woods profoundly disrupts the senses of most human cultivators. Most TAO guards, and indeed many mid-tier rank warriors, rely heavily on projecting their Will to sense their surroundings, to detect threats before they become immediate dangers. The raw, untamed energy here interferes with that focus, scattering their mental projections and making arrogance a fatally reckless flaw."

  Captain Lykos, riding ahead in his gleaming, gold-laced armour, flinched almost imperceptibly at Manke's direct and pointed assessment, not in fear, but in restrained irritation.

  "Manke, save the warnings for your household staff," Lykos's retort was sharp, edged with a defensive pride. "We rely on our Will, not on the whims of the breeze or the whispers of a servant." Still, his grip tightened on the reins, and his pace slowed by a fraction.

  Nerion, with his keen, observant eyes, caught a fleeting flicker of doubt in the Captain's gaze.

  They continued in strained silence. Julieta seemed intrigued by Nerion's defiance. When Nerion deliberately splashed mud onto Julieta's silk skirt, she stared, then suppressed a genuine, tiny giggle.

  Manke observed Julieta and Nerion's playful, almost sibling-like argument with a faint, knowing smile. He rarely saw his Lady so genuinely happy and unburdened by the crushing weight of societal expectations or the constant power struggles within the Main House.

  "There is one thing I don't quite understand, Lord Manke, if I may be so bold," Elisha asked quietly, his brow furrowed in thought.

  "Please, young Elisha, don't call me Lord. I am merely a steward. Do tell," Manke replied, his voice gentle and inviting.

  "This journey is quite dangerous," Elisha began, choosing his words carefully. "I understand the Green Crystal Flower is a rare and exceptionally valuable mystic plant, categorised as a Rank 6 resource, with myriad uses in both advanced medicine and intricate runic crafting. What I fail to grasp is why Lady Julieta is personally joining us. She could have easily remained behind, safe in the manor, and allowed us, her retinue, to retrieve the flower. Why must she risk herself in such a perilous place?" Elisha pressed, his question hanging in the air, a silent challenge.

  "This... I made the same recommendation, however," Manke began, a hint of resignation in his voice, but Julieta interrupted him before he could finish.

  "Stop, Manke. I've already told you, this is something I must do personally. You know the Lady of the House dislikes me, and though my Lord father adores and protects me, my older siblings constantly whisper behind my back, calling me useless and pampered, saying I can't even help him. I recently heard he's been deeply frustrated trying to acquire a Green Crystal Flower, without success, but rumours spread that one recently appeared in these very Radon Woods. I knew this was my chance to prove myself, to show them I am not a helpless doll." Julieta's voice softened, her composure faltering, a rare vulnerability showing through her aristocratic facade.

  Nerion felt a sudden touch of empathy, a surprising kinship. he thought to himself.

  “I understand, my Lady. And where did you hear it from?” Elisha wondered, his gaze sharp. “Actually, I heard it from Captain Lykos,” Julieta said proudly, a faint smile gracing her lips. “I was walking around the garden, near the west wing, and he was walking with another guard, discussing various things about the family. They didn’t notice I was standing behind some dense bushes, and I overheard them talking about this very issue that’s been bothering my lord father for weeks.”

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  Elisha asked nothing more, but his mind kept stirring, a knot of unease forming. This... Something didn’t seem right. The pieces didn't fit.

  Nerion, oblivious to the subtle undercurrents of suspicion, was sticking rigorously to a winding, overgrown route, his small figure weaving expertly through the dense foliage.

  “We are making unacceptable progress!” Lykos roared suddenly, pulling his horse to a jarring halt, his patience clearly at an end. “At this rate, we will be stuck here for three days! I demand we take the central game trail. It will cut our travel time by more than half.”

  “That trail cuts directly through known dangerous territories,” Nerion stated calmly, without even glancing back. “I’m taking the safe route. It takes three days, top, to reach the northern reaches where the flower is rumoured to be.”

  The Centurion, Kael (Level 48), a burly warrior with a weathered face, spurred his horse forward, his contempt for the young guide flaring openly.

  “This is inadmissible. Are you insinuating we, the elite guards of the capital, are afraid of useless magical beasts? We are veterans of the Capital Guard, far above the petty skirmishes of the frontier, and accustomed to much greater dangers than a few overgrown animals.”

  Nerion, however, merely pointed toward a small, shimmering patch of vibrant purple toadstools growing in the deep shade of a massive, ancient root. “You need to step away from those Glory Caps, Centurion. They have a potent scent that specifically draws the Iron-Skin Boars, especially during this season.”

  “Nonsense!” Lykos barked, his face darkening further. “I’m growing tired of your fear-mongering, boy. You can’t even fathom the depths of what a true Elite from the capital is able to do, the sheer power we command,” his impatience flaring openly, overriding any semblance of caution.

  Before Lykos could even give the order to advance, the woods behind the Captain erupted in a violent explosion of sound and motion.

  A terrifying snort, thick with primal rage, cut through the humid air. A monstrous creature, encased in hide like dull, hammered iron, burst from the brush, its small, piggy eyes glowing an angry, malevolent red. It was an Iron-Skin Boar, a deadly Rank 3 Magical Beast, drawn with irresistible force by the potent, intoxicating scent of the Glory Caps. It charged, a living battering ram, directly at Kael, the Centurion who had been closest to the poisonous mushrooms.

  Kael was caught entirely off guard, his arrogance costing him dearly. He roared, his Qi surging in a desperate panic, a pale, flickering aura surrounding him.

  He instinctively raised his short sword, a finely crafted blade, but the massive Rank 3 Beast was too fast, too powerful. It slammed its formidable tusks into Kael's lower side with sickening force.

  Kael flew over his horse's neck, a scream tearing from his throat. His armour shrieked as the protective runes flared, briefly resisting the impact, but he hit the ground with devastating, bone-jarring force, landing in an unceremonious heap.

  Nerion acted with surprising speed and decisive thought, hurling a jagged stone directly at another patch of Glory Caps, drawing the beast's attention. “Hey, pig, over here!” he shouted, his young voice surprisingly loud.

  The boar pivoted, its red eyes momentarily locking onto Nerion. Elisha, reacting with blur-like TAO speed, darted forward, kicking up a cloud of loose dirt and leaves to momentarily blind the charging beast.

  Manke, his expression grim, stepped protectively toward Julieta, his sole focus her safety, and raised a pale, almost ethereal hand, his eyes flashing with a sudden, cold blue light.

  “Παγοκουκο?λι” ( - Ice Cocoon)! he intoned, his voice resonating with ancient power.

  A shimmering sheet of pure ice erupted violently from the ground, crackling with frigid energy, and enveloped the enraged Iron-Skin Boar in an instant. The air around the beast dropped dramatically, the temperature plummeting, and the creature was encased in a flawless, perfectly smooth cocoon of solid, unbreakable ice.

  Nerion’s breath caught.

  Manke gave a sharp, almost imperceptible flick of his wrist.

  The Ice Cocoon shattered into a million glittering fragments, and the beast was instantly killed, its life extinguished by the sudden, focused, overwhelming cold. The carcass remained intact—a frozen monument not to strength, but to command.

  Nerion stared, heart pounding. Qi broke things. This… told the world what to do.

  An unnerving silence descended upon the woods, broken only by the panting of horses and the rustling of leaves. Manke slowly lowered his hand, his expression unreadable. His gaze, now filled with a cool, withering distaste, settled first on Lykos, then on the unconscious, groaning Kael.

  “A Legate and a Centurion, nearly undone by a beast drawn to a mushroom,” Manke stated, his voice calm, almost weary. “It would appear your training taught you to rely solely on brute strength and martial prowess, a common flaw in capital doctrine.”

  Lykos’s face was dark with a profound shame and barely contained fury, his Qi boiling beneath his skin, but he couldn't object, couldn't utter a single retort. The sheer, undeniable power and chilling efficiency of the TIMBER magic done by an Arch-Magus were utterly convincing, leaving no room for argument.

  Elisha, helping to haul the severely bruised Kael back onto his horse, exchanged a worried, wide-eyed glance with Nerion. The child, his small face a mixture of awe and fear, had just witnessed his first taste of a Mana user in action.

  Lykos spat into the dirt, his pride wounded but his sense of self-preservation now fully engaged. "Nerion, lead the way. Your pace is our pace. From now on, your judgment dictates our movement."

  The retinue, chastened and much more cautious, pressed deeper into the Radon Woods, the glowing vines thickening around them. As they walked, Nerion spotted a vibrant Mana Bloom, its petals pulsing with a soft, ethereal blue light. “Bet I can name that before you, Ugly Girl,” he challenged Julieta, a playful smirk returning to his face.

  Julieta huffed, a flicker of her earlier haughtiness returning. “It’s a Mana Bloom, commonly used in healing runes! I read it in Father’s library, in the comprehensive guide to mystic flora.”

  Nerion smirked, clearly enjoying her predictable response. “Half-right. Crush its stem, it repels Mana Wasps. Watch.” He expertly plucked the flower, crushing its stem between his fingers and smearing the viscous sap on his arm. Julieta pouted, clearly impressed despite herself, but stubborn as ever. “Show-off,” she muttered.

  A faint, growing buzz filled the air. Suddenly, a dense swarm of Rank 2 Mana Wasps, their translucent wings crackling with barely contained energy, descended upon them.

  Lykos instinctively drew his blade, but Nerion shouted, “Don’t! Blades only stir them up and make them more aggressive!”

  He quickly tossed a freshly crushed Mana Bloom, its potent scent dispersing into the air. The swarm, confused and repelled, scattered almost instantly.

  Elisha grinned, a genuine laugh escaping him. “Nice one, runt!”

  Kael, still bruised and shaken but regaining some of his old bluster, muttered, “Lucky trick, boy. Nothing more.”

  Nerion shot back, without missing a beat, “Better than your boar flop, Centurion!”

  As night finally fell, they made camp near a small, glowing stream, its waters shimmering with Mana. Elisha’s suspicion, however, lingered, a cold knot in his stomach. He noticed Kael’s hand, as the Centurion tried to appear asleep, subtly twitch toward a hidden sigil on his armour, a symbol unnoticed by all but Elisha’s exceptionally keen perception.

  The mystery of the Captain's lapse in judgment and Kael's strange actions continued to gnaw at him.