Verc and the others went deeper into the forest with extreme caution.
The further they pushed into the heart of the woods, the thicker the heavy atmosphere became. It wasn’t just a feeling of being watched anymore; it was like the air itself was trying to weigh them down, making every breath feel slightly more harder than the last. They had to be on guard at all times, eyes constantly darting between the massive, building-sized trunks and the thick, blue-green canopy above.
But luckily for them all, Verc’s [Danger Sense] was working very well. It was able to detect all incoming ambushes seconds before the monsters even appeared.
It was like having a radar in the back of his head that pulsed whenever a hostile presence entered a certain radius. Because of that, even after traveling for several hours through territory that should have been a death trap, nobody in the group sustained any major injuries.
Jed, Neit, Jai, and Moro did receive some wounds here and there. Their fighting style was aggressive, almost reckless at times, as they tested the limits of their new vampiric strength. They would throw themselves into the middle of a pack of monsters, taking a claw to the shoulder just to land a crushing blow to a creature’s skull. But it didn’t really matter— the wounds healed almost immediately, the skin knitting back together in a matter of seconds while the dark blood vanished back into their pores.
On the other hand—
Verc was focused almost entirely on keeping Bong and Onyx safe. He sat atop of Bong, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, but he was barely moving from his spot. He didn’t need to. He acted as the center of the formation, a calm anchor while chaos erupted around him.
Whenever [Danger Sense] triggered, Verc would shout out a direction, and the seven would lunge. They dealt with the monsters as fast as they possibly could, moving like a well trained assassins.
And after every skirmish, they did something that Verc found incredibly strange. Once the last monster was dead, they would gather the bodies and drag them toward Verc, piling them at Bong’s hooves.
They were offering the corpses of the monsters to him.
Verc was weirded out by the behavior, but he didn’t stop them. After all, to get stronger as a vampire, he needed to consume blood. So he accepted the offerings gratefully, and the seven were glad that he did.
*****
A few more hours passed...
And so far, Verc and the others had encountered two main types of monsters.
The first were the mutated monkeys. They were fast and coordinated, and after drinking the blood of several corpses of them; Verc’s skill, [Predatory Posture], improved several steps.
Then, the next monsters appeared.
These were a type of harpy— creatures with human heads and torsos, but with leathery wings instead of hands and sharp, obsidian-like talons for feet. They didn’t stay on the ground; they stayed high up in the giant trees, diving down like feathered arrows to snatch prey.
Because they fought in the air, the group had a bit of trouble dealing with them the first time they were ambushed. The harpies used the height to their advantage, shrieking in voices that sounded like distorted human screams. It took the seven vampires a few minutes to kill a group of about twenty of them.
But Tatum and the others were quick learners. By the second encounter, they didn’t wait for the harpies to dive. They would climb the giant trees with such dexterity and speed that it looked like they were flying themselves. They fought the harpies head-on in the air, jumping from branch to branch and ripping the wings off the creatures mid-flight.
From their blood; Verc felt his [Danger Sense] become even stronger. The radius of his awareness expanded, and the "flashes" of incoming attacks became clearer, almost like he was seeing a ghost of the future.
And just like that, with their powers steadily growing, the group continued walking toward the center of the forest.
... ... ...
... ... ...
After being in the forest for about six hours... Verc came to realize why this place had become a legendary danger zone.
The monsters were incredibly strong. If they were ordinary people— even well-trained soldiers— they would have been dead within the first ten minutes. Each of those mutated monkeys possessed the raw strength and speed of an apprentice knight. On their own, they were dangerous. In a group, they were a nightmare.
And that was the real problem: the numbers. The population density of monsters in this forest was insane. They didn’t just wander around; they lived in massive hordes. The smallest number that had attacked Verc’s group so far was fourteen monsters. Usually, it was twenty or thirty at a time.
If they weren’t vampires, fighting just one of these groups would have already exhausted them. If they were a group of eight human knights and managed to survive the first ambush, they would be panting and bleeding still. Then, ten minutes later, another group would hit them. Then another.
In a place like this, stamina was the most valuable resource. For humans, exhaustion would set in, their reactions would slow, and the wounds would start to stack up until they were eventually overwhelmed and eaten.
’I see why no one attempted to clear or even touch this place.’
Verc said to himself, looking at the dark, silent woods around them.
After all, even after being here for quite some time, all they saw were giant, creepy trees and endless monsters. There was nothing noteworthy that would make people want to clean up this place. It wasn’t like there was a cave full of gold or a legendary temple visible from the outside. Entering this forest was just asking to die for no reward.
Verc shrugged his shoulders as he continued riding Bong. Onyx was still perched on his lap, the puppy having finally stopped trembling, though he was still very alert. The seven vampires followed closely behind the horse, their attention split between the surrounding shadows and Verc himself.
’This is the perfect place for us to build our base.’
Verc thought with a small smile on his face.
The very things that kept everyone else out— the monsters, the heavy air, the sheer danger— were the things that would keep them safe.
It was a natural fortress for them.
*****
They continued traveling toward the center of the forest. Time seemed to lose its meaning under the thick canopy where the light never changed, but Verc kept track. After traveling for about twelve hours since they had first entered the woods, they finally reached a massive clearing.
The air here was different. It was still heavy, but there was a hum of raw mana vibrating through the ground.
TAP-!
"..."
Verc pulled on Bong’s reins, bringing him to a sudden halt.
"What the fuck...?"
Verc couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
The clearing was huge, several hundred yards across, and the ground was covered in dark, flat stone rather than soil.
Then, in the very middle of it... sat a giant humanoid monster!
It was resting on a big boulder, its back leaned against a tree that was even larger than the others they had passed. The monster was easily over twenty feet tall. Its skin looked like gray stone, and its muscles were popping out from its frame in a way that looked painful. Each of its arms was as thick as a normal tree trunk!
The monster seemed to be sleeping, its chest heaving with slow, heavy breaths that sounded like the low rumble of an earthquake. But even while asleep, the pressure coming off the creature was immense.
"...!!!"
The seven vampires behind Verc all froze. Their instincts, which had been so aggressive and confident against the monkeys and harpies, were now screaming at them to be cautious.
They dropped into low crouches, their fangs bared, but none of them made a move to attack.
Verc looked at the giant, then at the center of the clearing behind it. He could feel it— the highest concentration of mana in the entire forest was right there.
’That must be it.’
Verc thought, his grip tightening on his sword.
’The heart of the forest.’
The clearing was the perfect place for him to use [Dungeon Genesis].
"Stay back."
Verc said to the seven, his voice low but firm.
"I’ll handle this one myself."
He declared.
Tatum stepped forward, his face frowning but his eyes were determined.
"Lord Verc, let us help. We can distract it while you—"
"No."
Verc interrupted him.
"I can do this. Just keep Bong and Onyx safe. If things became dangerous, get them out of here."
Verc slid off Bong’s back, his boots hitting the stone floor with a dull thud. Every fiber of his being was telling him that this was a boss-level encounter, just like when he was in the dungeon back at the city of Zore.
He handed Onyx of Ashley, and then after that— FWIP!
"..."
He just unsheated his sword without saying anything, his eyes now locked at the giant monster a few tens of meters away from him.