The sound twisted unnaturally mid-echo, as if swallowed.
Samuel's jaw tightened slightly. "A human? Out here? Or did I finally reach some kind of civilization?"
Sam didn't hesitate anymore.
Mana compressed into his legs and he vanished forward, reappearing in a blur thirty meters ahead as the forest floor cracked beneath the force of his acceleration.
He arrived just as the scene unfolded.
A young man—no older than 20—tripped over a root the size of a fallen pillar, his body rolling awkwardly across damp leaves. His clothes were torn, dark with blood along his side.
Behind him, bursting through brush and splintering smaller trees like brittle sticks, came the creature.
It was not elegant. It looked familiar—yet far larger than in Sam's memory.
Its body resembled a giant ant, its back nearly three meters high, plated in bark-like armor that blended with the forest. Dozens of segmented legs rippled beneath it while its front rose into a thick, tusked head dripping with acidic saliva.
Behind it, the bushes continued to tremble as more ants pushed through in a steady stream. It lunged at the young man, who threw up his arms to protect his head.
Samuel stepped between them.
The tusks slammed into his torso.
The impact echoed like a drum struck with a war hammer.
He didn't move.
The creature paused, confused, its segmented legs scrambling against the leaf-covered ground.
Samuel looked at it calmly, then turned slightly toward the young man.
"Cough…You're loud. If you keep screaming like that, these ants will be the smallest of your problems."
He grabbed one tusk with his left hand and the upper jaw with his right.
The creature shrieked, acidic drool splashing against his forearm and sizzling uselessly against his infused skin.
It twisted violently, trying to leverage its mass, dozens of legs digging into the soil.
Samuel exhaled.
Sovereign Instinct pulsed outward.
Killing intent flooded the five-meter domain.
Whoosh.
The air thickened, and the bark-like armor along the creature's spine shriveled slightly under the pressure, its movements stuttering for half a second.
That was enough.
Samuel pivoted his hips and redirected the creature's momentum, flipping the multi-ton body over his shoulder in a movement that shattered several smaller roots beneath it.
The ground shook.
The forest responded.
High above, something enormous shifted along the canopy, wood groaning in protest.
[1x Killed; Ancient Giant Tree Ant Worker: 59 EXP]
The others attacked him at once. Samuel blocked the weakened strikes with a forearm, each collision sending shockwaves through the damp air and scattering bark in a wide arc.
He slid back two meters.
"…Decent."
The creatures charged again, this time spewing concentrated jets of corrosive mana from their throats.
Samuel stepped through it.
The liquid parted around him, friction sparks flickering along his skin.
He closed the distance and drove his fist downward into the center of one skull—then the next—then the next. The forest floor collapsed beneath the force of his blows.
Leaves, mud, and splintered bark exploded outward in a widening ring.
The creatures convulsed, legs spasming violently.
Silence followed.
Only the distant whisper of leaves remained.
[20x Killed; Ancient Giant Tree Ant Worker: 1160 EXP]
Samuel straightened slowly, bits of organic matter sliding from his knuckles.
Behind him, the young man stared, frozen, his breathing ragged.
Samuel finally glanced over his shoulder.
"You can stand?" he asked flatly.
His tone wasn't gentle.
The young man swallowed and nodded, his body shaking as if the temperature had dropped below freezing. Blood dripped from his nose as he pulled himself up, holding onto a root for support.
"Thank you," the young man began, dusting off his fine but torn clothes. "My mana ran dry! These ants—they were bigger than the ones near my town, but—nevermind, thanks again!"
Sam stared at him for a moment longer, his own throat feeling strangely sore when he considered speaking again. He coughed once before answering in a deep but dry voice.
"I only saved you because I want you to show me the way to your city."
The young man looked up at Sam, who towered a full two heads above him. His short white hair was covered with blood and dirt, yet he let out a strained laugh.
"Don't joke with me! I was just about to ask you the same!"
Sam didn't respond. He simply stared at him, scanning the young man's body before shaking his head.
"You're right. You're too weak to survive in this area."
"Hey! Just because you're big, muscular, and… scarred doesn't mean you're stronger!"
"I killed these ants. You couldn't."
"I am the third strongest in the Magic Academy! My mana was just empty. If it hadn't been, I would've killed them with a single spell." He inhaled sharply and clenched his fists. "It's just that I was betrayed and nearly all of my mana was stolen!"
"Betrayed? So there are others here?"
"No… I don't think so. They teleported me…" He forced a weak smile. "So… do you know where they sent me?"
Sam stared at him as the wind moved through the colossal leaves high above their heads, then slowly exhaled.
"I think I'll have to kill you, then."
"Whoa, whoa! Stop! Why all of a sudden?!"
"I don't know exactly where we are. I only know it's called Monster Land. And if you're weak, you'll just become a hindrance to me and my goal."
"What?! Hell no! Say that again? Where are we?"
"Monster Land," Sam repeated, taking several slow steps toward him and raising his fist.
The young man stumbled backward, raising his hands toward the approaching figure.
"Stop! Please! I—I—I—"
Sam came closer, and the young man's mind raced desperately for a way to save himself.
"Ah! I! I know the way back!"
Sam halted.
"Yes! Yes!" The dirt-streaked white hair shook wildly as he nodded. "I know the way back to civilization! I can lead you!"