The mont Creed’s shout rang through the battlefield, Amara acted instantly.
A sharp glint flickered in her icy-blue eyes, and before the Stage 5 Treeman could even react, she swung her arm forward, releasing an enormous Ice Blade that shot through the air like a freezing crescent moon.
Boom!
The attack slamd into the Treeman’s massive wooden body, forcing it back half a step.
That might not sound like much, but against a monster of its sheer size and durability, that was a huge feat.
Even Creed, mid-battle, raised an eyebrow slightly. That was more effective than expected.
But there was no ti to dwell on that.
Amara vanished in a flash of frost, her speed surging to its peak as she darted toward Tierra’s position.
anwhile, Creed didn’t let the opportunity slip. He struck again.
As usual, his spear glowed with violet lightning as he unleashed Pierce, aiming straight for the Treeman’s core.
But just when the Treeman raised it hands to block and then counter the strike, Creed teleported.
In an instant, he vanished from sight and reappeared next to Tierra.
His sudden disappearance caught the Treeman completely off guard, its attack slamming into thin air as a delayed roar of confusion and fury erupted from its wooden throat.
The two Stage 5 Treen both turned, their massive bodies trembling with rage as they prepared to charge after them.
But that’s when Lilith made her move.
A horrifying scream suddenly ripped through the battlefield, sending an electric shockwave through the air.
The sound was so sharp and intense that even the trees in the distance quivered from the force of it.
And then...
BOOM!
Two massive lightning arcs, each carrying Peak Stage 4 power, exploded toward the Treen.
For a precious second, the two monsters were kept in place, their massive wooden bodies destroying the electric arcs like it was a re spark.
It wasn’t enough to even injure them, but that one second of ti that it bought the group was all they needed.
"Now!" Tierra’s voice rang in Creed’s mind.
In that instant, she activated her Teleportation Skill at full power.
The world twisted.
A sudden force pulled them away, their bodies turning weightless as space warped around them. The battlefield, the roaring Treen, the chaos; everything vanished in a blink.
Thud!
Creed landed on the ground, his knees bending to absorb the impact. His spear was still gripped tightly in his hands, his breathing slightly heavy.
But the first thing he did?
He recalled Lilith into the tattoo on his chest.
Only when he felt her presence return, that comforting weight settling against his skin, did he finally exhale in relief.
Then, he glanced around.
They were obviously still in the forest. But it wasn’t the sa as before.
The density of trees had significantly reduced, allowing more open space to breathe. The air here felt lighter, not as thick with the suffocating presence of the Treen army.
And sowhere behind them, there was the soft sound of water trickling. It was the faint but unmistakable sign of a river or stream nearby.
Creed sent a glance at Tierra. The little gray-haired assassin was still panting slightly, her small fra leaning against a tree.
It was clear that teleporting all of them over such a distance had drained her significantly.
Seeing this, Creed didn’t waste any ti.
"Lilith," he muttered.
Instantly, his succubus erged from the tattoo on his chest in a flash of violet light, her red scythe still crackling with residual electricity from her last attack.
"Scout the area," Creed commanded. "Find out what’s around us."
Lilith didn’t argue.
She simply nodded, then vanished into a bolt of lightning, her presence disappearing completely from the human eye.
A few minutes later, her voice echoed in Creed’s mind.
"We’re behind the Treeman group now."
Creed’s eyes sharpened.
"They’re heading north, searching for us."
So they had completely outmaneuvered them.
Creed smirked. "Perfect."
At this point, the logical choice was obvious; they had to get as far away as possible before the Treen could locate them again.
"Let’s move."
And so, they began their journey away from the chaos.
For the first hour, Creed kept his senses sharp, making sure there were no threats nearby. But after a while, when the adrenaline started wearing off, his annoyance started kicking in.
And when Creed got annoyed?
He complained.
"Agh, I’m starving," he muttered, rubbing his stomach. "When was the last ti I even ate?"
Amara shot him a blank stare. "You don’t need to eat anymore. You have a Stage 4 physique now. You can survive without food for weeks."
Creed blinked at her. Then scowled. He had forgotten he was not alone with his summons and there was still an outsider with them.
He turned away from her and looked ahead.
"That doesn’t an I don’t want to eat," he grumbled. "Just because I can survive without food doesn’t an I should."
Amara sighed. "You’re such a child."
"Excuse ?" Creed scoffed. "I am a full-grown, incredibly powerful warrior—"
"A warrior who’s whining about food."
Tierra let out a quiet laugh from the side.
Creed dramatically placed a hand on his chest. "Tierra. Not you too."
His own summon was siding with the enemy! This was not good!
The tiny assassin just smirked but didn’t say anything.
Ignoring them both, Creed continued walking.
’Besides,’ he added in his mind at Tierra, kicking a rock out of his path, ’it’s not even just about eating. It’s about the experience. The feeling of a good al, the taste, the satisfaction. And what do we get instead? Treen.’
He gazed at the empty forest dramatically.
’We’ve been fighting nothing but walking trees this entire ti!’
Tierra raised an eyebrow. ’What, you want to eat them?’
’...You think they’d taste good?’
Tierra actually snorted at that one.
Just as Creed was about to complain again, the trees suddenly thinned out. And in front of them, a river appeared.
Creed blinked.
"...Wait. Did we just cross the entire forest?"
He turned to look behind them, the dense treeline they had just erged from stretching into the distance.
Then, back at the river.
Then, back at the forest.
"...Just like that?"
Amara crossed her arms, looking equally shocked. "Looks like it."
Creed’s brain was short-circuiting.
After all that chaos; the running, the fighting, the teleportation, the Treen hordes, they had actually made it out of the whole forest?
"...Huh."
Creed scratched his head.
"Well, that was easier than expected."
Tierra rolled her eyes. ’You nearly died.’
’We both know I would have still survived.’
Creed’s gaze lingered on the flowing water ahead.
Was it really this easy? Had he just miraculously spawned near the exit? The thought nagged at him, but logic dictated otherwise.
With 100,000 candidates participating in this trial, it made no sense that he hadn’t encountered anyone besides Amara.
That could only an one thing; this place was absolutely massive. The scale of the trial must be enormous, and the forest itself likely stretched on for miles.
There was no way they had already reached the end. No, this wasn’t the exit. They were probably just at a random river cutting through the forest.
That ant they still had a long way to go.
Before he could fully process his next move, Amara—who had been unusually quiet—spoke up while glancing at the holographic projection on her dinsional bracelet.
"The map says we need to go that way to reach the place where the ferries are." Her voice was calm, but Creed could hear the faintest hint of relief.
Creed’s head snapped toward her. "There’s a mapping function?" He imdiately accessed his own bracelet, only to frown in disappointnt.
It wasn’t a proper map, just a directional pointer. It showed them the general way to go but provided no details about the terrain or obstacles in their path.
That ant they’d still have to navigate carefully.
Then, an idea struck him. His gaze shifted from the bracelet to the river, following the direction of the flowing water.
If they had to go that way... could this actually work? A slow grin spread across his face.
Without a word, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out a bundle of strong, high-quality ropes.
Then, without hesitation, he walked up to a tree near the riverbank and with a single clean stroke of his spear, hacked it down.
Amara, who had been standing nearby, blinked in surprise. "What are you doing?"
Creed didn’t answer imdiately. He had already checked the trial rules earlier and knew which items were banned.
Certain tools that could make the trial too easy; like fully constructed chs or talismans were prohibited.
However, so raw materials like ropes weren’t on that list. That ant he could technically build sothing himself without breaking the rules.
He glanced at Amara as he started cutting the tree into planks. "You said we need to go that way, right?"
He nodded toward the river’s direction. "Why waste ti walking when we can just... float?"
Amara’s expression remained blank for a few seconds before realization dawned on her face. "You’re making a raft?"
"Ding, ding, ding. Give the girl a prize."
She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, she crossed her arms and watched silently as he worked.
Creed moved with practiced efficiency. His hands expertly shaped the wood into sturdy planks before securing them together with the ropes.
He ensured the base was wide enough for balance and reinforced the structure using additional branches for extra stability.
Each movent was deliberate, a reflection of skills he had learned long ago.
This wasn’t the first ti he’d done this. Back in his past life, he had joined a survival challenge one ti. It was mostly for fun and thrills, but also to test himself.
One of the tasks had involved crafting a raft to cross a river, and he had spent days perfecting the technique. Now, that knowledge was paying off.
As he tied the final knot, he took a step back and surveyed his work. The raft was simple, but it was solid. It would hold.
It should hold.
Amara had been watching him the whole ti, and for the first ti since they had landed in the trial, she looked genuinely impressed. "You actually know what you’re doing," she muttered.
Creed gave her a mocking smirk. "Do I look like I don’t?"
He grabbed a wooden paddle he had carved earlier and pushed the raft into the water. It floated smoothly.
A few test pushes with the paddle proved that it was both stable and maneuverable.
Satisfied, he stepped onto the raft, adjusting his balance as it rocked slightly beneath his weight.
Then, before he could even turn around, Amara casually stepped onto the raft as well, without asking for permission.
Creed froze. His eye twitched. He slowly turned his head to look at her, his mind struggling to comprehend the sheer audacity of this woman.
Amara didn’t even blink.
Creed inhaled sharply, counted to three in his head, and resisted the overwhelming urge to push her into the river.
He had spent hours building this thing, and she just waltzed in like she owned the place?!
He took another deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, normal people ask before invading soone’s personal raft."
Amara gave him a flat look. "We both need to cross, and this is the best way. What, are you going to throw off?"
Creed narrowed his eyes. "Don’t tempt ."
Amara smirked, clearly unfazed. She even sat down on the raft like she belonged there. "Well? Are we going, or are you just going to stand there glaring at all day?"
Creed exhaled through his nose. This woman was insufferable.
But fine. Whatever.
He grabbed the paddle, muttering under his breath about unwanted passengers, and started guiding the raft down the river.
The water was calm, the current steady but not too fast. It was actually a peaceful ride if he ignored the fact that Amara was sitting a few feet away, acting like she had just booked a first-class seat.
As they floated downstream, Creed’s initial irritation faded slightly. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.
Since the river led them in the right direction, they might actually be able to cross the forest without dealing with more treen.
Of course, that was assuming nothing went wrong.
And in a trial like this, sothing always went wrong.
Right?
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