"Do not think too much. You brought us to the right place. Look at the dead bodies, they are still warm. Not much time has passed since their deaths, and even the blood is fresh. The enemy is somewhere nearby," Tharos said, his voice steady yet commanding, carrying the natural authority of a man who had faced countless battlefields.
"Or perhaps... even listening to us right now."
The moment those words left his mouth, a chill passed through the group. All three men instinctively shifted into defensive stances, muscles coiled and eyes sharp. The forest around them suddenly felt heavier, the silence pressing against their ears as if the trees themselves were listening.
!!!!
"Now, now.....there is no need to be so tense. I only spoke of the possibilities. My senses are already stretched to their limit, and I do not detect anyone nearby," Tharos continued, his calm tone steadying the unease in the air. The others exhaled slowly and allowed their stances to ease, though a faint wariness still lingered in their eyes.
There are only two possibilities. Either the enemy is stronger than me... or he is simply good at running away...
Tharos thought quietly as his hand rubbed over the pommel of his sword, a small habit that revealed how deeply his mind was working. He believed wholeheartedly that the enemy was simply skilled at running away, because he could not bring himself to imagine that someone stronger than them would choose to remain hidden instead of showing themselves.
"Kiro, move in a straight line and follow the path. Jax and Max spread to the left and right. Do not go too far, and retreat if you find nothing. I will stay here and study the traces more closely."
"Yes, sir."
All three of them replied in unison and moved instantly, their bodies blurring as they dashed into the forest with practiced speed. Branches trembled under their movements, and the rustle of leaves trailed behind them before the forest grew still once more.
Ash saw all of this unfold, and he realized the truth after sensing the sheer weight of mana that surrounded their bodies when he activated Elemental Sight. Their outlines glowed with condensed energy, and the pressure alone made his chest feel slightly heavy.
All three of them are Grandmasters... and that middle-aged man... he is Legendary rank...
As soon as he realized that the enemy was an S-ranked person, Ash became even more cautious. It was his first time encountering someone who had stepped into the Legendary rank, and he knew well that starting a losing fight was no different from digging his own grave.
But I am confident that if I abuse my immortality and spam spells simultaneously and ambush him, I can kill him...
Even so, he admitted that if his ambush failed, there would be no choice left but to run. Against someone who had already grasped the power of a domain, even escape was uncertain.
There was no guarantee what would happen if he decided to confront the opponent head-on, after all, the enemy has the power of domain.
Looks like my fight with the monsters has attracted some sort of organization. It is obvious they are either all criminals or assassins....
It was obvious from their words and the manner in which they acted. Now the question that rose in his mind was simple—what should he do next?
It’s obvious, I will follow them to their base. Hehe
A devious plan formed in his mind, as his eyes stayed locked on Tharos who crouched among the corpses, observing the slain monsters closely.
The Legendary ranker’s sharp gaze traced every detail, and Ash could tell from the way he moved that nothing in this place was escaping his notice.
Except him, of course.
***
Hmm... the cuts are clean, and there is no trace of much mana used here..... whoever killed it did it with just the pure strength of their body, nothing else...
Tharos crouched down and examined the monster’s corpse, his eyes carefully tracing every wound. His mind, however, was restless.
But on the way... There were many unusual scenes. There were craters left behind, and strange residues of lightning clinging to the ground and trees..... as if storms had torn through this forest.
Some places even looked like they had been pulled straight out of a nightmare, scarred with emptiness..... as if death itself had swallowed that patch of land and left nothing behind.
It was hard to believe that one single person could be responsible for all of this, because the scale of destruction simply did not make sense. Yet he was certain it was not the work of a group. Kiro’s unique trait allowed him to see traces that normal eyes could never detect, and it was because of that ability that he had become one of the best trackers the organization had ever produced.
Tharos trusted that skill completely and did not doubt him in the slightest.
As he stood there lost in thought, the sound of footsteps returned. His subordinates approached from different directions, their figures emerging from between the trees. Turning around, Tharos gave them a deep look, and under his heavy gaze, they immediately gave their reports.
"There were no signs of anyone moving in a straight line," Kiro reported.
"There was no one."
"No one."
The twins replied one after another, their voices firm yet cautious.
Hearing their words, Tharos turned his gaze back to the corpses at his feet. His expression hardened as he sank deeper into thought, his hand slowly resting on the pommel of his sword.
After what felt like a long silence, he finally spoke, "Let’s return. If there is a disturbance again near our territory, I will ask the hounds to be released."
Kiro and the twins froze for a moment, their faces paling as soon as the word hounds left his lips. It was no secret that the Hounds were not ordinary soldiers but a special unit trained for only one purpose—hunting and killing a target without fail.
What made them terrifying was not just their strength, but their inhuman nature. To complete their mission, they would go to any length.
They did not care about their bodies, they felt no pain, and once unleashed they never stopped until their prey was torn apart. Every single one of them was monstrously strong, their raw physical power was monstrous, and their way of fighting was pure savagery, more beast than human.
To be pursued by them was not a hunt. It was a death sentence.
"Let’s go," Tharos ordered at last, and his figure blurred as he moved forward. The others immediately followed, none daring to speak. Their silence carried unspoken pity for the unfortunate soul who would one day be marked as prey for the Hounds.
Only when the squad disappeared from sight did Ash finally stir.
He had been waiting, still and patient, and now he began to follow. His body flickered through the trees with short bursts of teleportation. Each jump carried risk. A few times, his footing faltered, and he nearly slipped from the branches, his balance almost breaking. His heart pounded at the thought of being discovered, but each time, relief came when Tharos showed no sign of noticing.
Learning quickly, Ash adjusted his movements. He no longer stared directly at the group, keeping their figures only in his peripheral vision, tracking them through the corner of his eyes. It was safer that way, and it ensured he would never lose them.
The chase went on, day bleeding into night and night into day, until two long days had passed. At last, the group slowed. They stopped in an open clearing at the base of a towering cliff, surrounded by thick forest.
Ash narrowed his eyes, his thoughts sharpening.
There are many trees here..... and the location screams a hideout to me.....
It was obvious to him at least, after all, he had been following these people from the start. If he had come here alone without knowing anything, even he would never have suspected that this place could lead to a hidden base. On the surface, it looked like nothing more than a quiet clearing beneath a cliff, surrounded by dense trees.
Just then, all four of them pulled out a token and supplied mana into it. The tokens glowed faintly and, in the very next moment, they all vanished without leaving behind a trace.
Ash froze where he stood.
He had expected some sort of gateway to appear, perhaps a door of light or a ripple spreading across space, but instead it looked as if the tokens themselves were the only key to enter.
Even then, Ash did not move and continued to stay hidden within the cover of the trees. His instincts told him to remain still, and his memory served as a harsh reminder of why. The incident in the Dragon Continent was still etched in his mind with crystal clarity, when, despite all his efforts, he had been caught by the dragon elders.
The memory of their overwhelming presence and the helplessness he had felt in that moment made him cautious, unwilling to take even the smallest unnecessary risk here.
Taking a slow breath, he activated Elemental Sight. His vision shifted, and the world around him transformed as countless glowing runes and invisible lines revealed themselves. On the ground below, hidden from normal eyes, was a massive runic array carved into the earth and filled with the energy of space mana.
He could even see the intricate structure inside it, puzzle-like patterns formed by interconnected nodes. Ash had studied these types of arrays before and immediately recognized them. It was a protected teleportation array, one that could only be activated if a proper key was used.
Although an array master might be able to decode the array with enough effort, it was never a simple task. It usually requires both time and careful calculation.
I don’t believe that there will be a single surveillance around the gateway to their organization.....
It was obvious that some kind of security was bound to be present. Perhaps not literal CCTVs, but other forms of magical surveillance, hidden formations, or sentries placed here to guard the entrance. That was exactly why Ash did not even think about teleporting directly above the array. One wrong move, and he could be discovered immediately.
Let’s solve the puzzle first.....
The reason array masters needed so much time was simple. They could not see the array directly with their own eyes. But Ash was different. His Elemental Sight allowed him to see every glowing line and shifting node clearly.
So he began to work on it mentally. It was a difficult process. Elemental Sight consumed his mental energy continuously, forcing him to pause often, close his eyes for a moment, and then begin again.
Time passed slowly. Minutes turned into hours as Ash carefully traced the flow of mana, adjusting and recalculating the solution in his mind.
After three long hours, his vision was heavy, his eyes droopy from strain, but finally, the solution was clear.
Nice, I have memorized the whole pattern.....
A faint smile appeared on his lips. It had been exhausting. To him, it felt like solving a Rubik’s Cube without being able to touch it, only turning it again and again inside his mind until every piece fell into the right place. But now, every path and every connection of the array was carved clearly in his memory.
Still, his body demanded rest before he could proceed.
With a light exhale, Ash teleported away from the clearing. It was already around three in the afternoon, and his body felt heavy with fatigue. He decided to rest now, and once night fell, he would return to implement the solution and finally enter the place.
****