The next morning.
The sun had not yet fully risen above the horizon when the border military base woke up.
The sound of soldiers’ footsteps, equipment being moved, military vehicles starting, and officers’ short commands echoed in the cold morning air.
On one of the base’s main platforms, the members of the forward team were preparing to move in silence.
No one was joking, no one was speaking unnecessarily. Everyone knew that from this moment on, there would be no more classes, training, or simulations.
This time, death was real.
And stress could be seen on the faces of most of the students. This was their first mission on such a large scale, and fear and stress were unavoidable.
But this was also a very big test in their lives. If they could get through this, they could definitely achieve great things in the Ruined Realm.
Lian tightened the last strap of his new armor and fixed his gaze on the base’s massive walls.
Beyond those walls... lay the fallen city.
A city that over the past two weeks had become a nightmare for the government, the military, and hunters. A place they wanted to send a few students to solve the problem.
At that moment, the base’s massive metal gate began to open with a heavy sound.
The sound of chains clashing echoed in the air. All eyes turned in that direction. The base commander also stepped forward.
His presence alone was enough to create pressure, and this presence not only did not calm the atmosphere but made it even more stressful.
His gaze moved over the team members.
"Final warning." His voice was calm.
But no one dared to even blink.
"If communication is lost... return immediately."
Everyone nodded.
"If the situation becomes abnormal... return immediately."
Silence continued.
But his next sentence made a few people frown.
"And if you see the city center..." The commander paused for a few moments and then added.
"Turn back."
A strange silence fell.
Cassian furrowed his eyebrows. One of the third-years also exchanged a quick glance with the others.
Why was everyone so sensitive about the city center? What exactly was there?
No one was explaining, and why was no one explaining to them? But that only made everything scarier.
Lian looked at them and could see their discomfort about this issue. If he were in their place, he would definitely have this concern.
But he knew what was in that city center. The same monster Aldric had told him about. The monster whose eyes he had been able to see last night.
Or had that monster actually seen him...?
A few seconds later, the order to move was given. The group passed through the gate and entered the fallen city for the first time.
The moment Lian passed the last defensive wall... he felt like he had entered another world. The city in front of him did not look like any city.
The streets were empty. Completely empty. No sound of people, no sound of cars, not even the sound of monsters. The only thing heard was the sound of the wind.
A wind that passed through the half-destroyed and ruined buildings.
A car was abandoned in the middle of the street. Its doors were still open. A few meters away, a small bicycle was lying next to the sidewalk.
As if its owner had abandoned it just a few minutes ago. But everyone knew that weeks had passed since the city fell.
On the ground, a child’s cloth doll lay. Half of its face was burned.
The forward team glanced at each other. Although a significant number of people had been rescued, many had also been killed.
And this doll could have belonged to a child who...
The broken windows of the buildings stared at the street like empty eyes. In one of the shops, a neon sign was still on.
Its red light reflected on the cracked ground. But there was no shop. No customers. No life.
It was as if the entire city had died in an instant.
Everyone moved in silence. Only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. And this silence... seemed scarier than any monster roar.
They continued walking for about twenty minutes, searching the surroundings for monsters. Their goal was clear: to hunt the monsters scattered across the four sections of the city.
"Could it be that the monsters are afraid of us?" Andreas said with a smirk.
"Not unlikely, haha." Marcus also nodded and seemed to agree.
The girls were silent and said nothing. They were clearly not happy to see this apocalyptic scene.
So this was what had happened dozens and hundreds of years ago to a large part of the world, causing the deaths of billions?
"Stop!" Lian suddenly raised his hand and signaled them to be quiet and stop.
The group was first surprised, but Cassian quickly realized what it was. He could sense the presence of monsters nearby.
And slowly, the rest of the group also noticed.
Dozens of cars were abandoned on both sides of the road. Some with their doors open, some with broken windows, and some still pointing their dead headlights into the darkness.
Suddenly, the sound of bending metal was heard from a distance.
CRRRRAAANG!
One of the cars shook to the side. Something was moving behind it.
Then its head appeared. A head like a chimpanzee’s, but several times larger. Bright yellow eyes that burned in the darkness.
A jaw full of thick, broken teeth. Its body, however, did not belong to any monkey.
A muscular and heavy body, like a rhinoceros but more agile. Its gray, armor-like skin shone under the dim morning light.
[Cornegon]
[Level : 8 ]
[Rank: Normal]
The monster raised its head and sniffed the air.
Behind it, more creatures came out from between the cars. One jumped onto the roof of a van, and the metal sank under its weight.
CRACK!
The car roof was completely crushed. Another slammed its horned snout into the body of a car.
The car slid several meters on the asphalt. A pack of about five Cornegons roamed the street.
They did not behave like normal hunters. They looked more like animals searching for something, like hungry animals looking for food.
One of them suddenly stopped.
Its small, thick ears twitched. Then it turned its head toward the forward team...
The pack’s silence was immediately broken.
All the monsters turned their heads in one direction. Their yellow eyes shone at the same time, as if they all shared one mind.
The pack leader let out a deep growl from its throat.
GRRRRRRRR...
The monsters started moving.
The group immediately attacked.
But the battle lasted no more than a few seconds.
Cassian was the first to move. His large sword came down like lightning. The head of one of the monsters was severed.
[Cornegon level 8 killed]
At the same time, Lian stepped forward, and his body vanished. A moment later, he appeared behind one of the monsters.
His silver sword flashed in the air. Black blood sprayed on the asphalt.
[Cornegon level 8 killed]
Two other monsters were taken down by Andreas’s precise arrows, the group’s sniper.
The last creature tried to escape, but Sarah’s fire magic blocked its path.
A few seconds later, it was all over. The battle was far too easy.
But something caught the group’s attention. The group’s tank, Marcus, knelt next to one of the corpses.
"This is so Strange." He examined it for a few moments, then frowned.