I stepped forward toward the two little Gornaks without answering.
Behind me, no one moved much — I could feel their eyes on me. Eventually, Maya whispered, uncomfortable:
"You gonna tell us what you're doing?"
I didn't respond.
The two small Gornaks were huddled by their mother's side, trembling. One briefly looked at me before snuggling closer to its companion.
I stopped in front of them.
Then, I calmly raised my odachi.
My blade sliced the air — once, then again, and twice more.
Their horns fell to the ground.
Four in total — two for each.
I crouched, picked them up, and slipped them into my dimensional ring.
Officially, I only needed one adult horn for the potion — but these were even better.
Young Gornak horns hold far purer mana, untarnished and untainted. Exactly what I needed. Two small equals one large, so I took them all. No reason to return.
I stood upright. The two pups hadn't moved. They panted rapidly, eyes vacant.
I hadn't killed them,I didn't need to. But without their horns, they'd grow weak, less dangerous, maybe even doomed.
Honestly, I didn't care. It was them or me.
I turned around.
Every pair of eyes was locked on me.
I shrugged.
"I needed them."
Silence followed.
Maya looked away. Camila sighed softly. Rowan stayed silent, arms folded, like he was ready to move on. Aram, though, activated his bracelet.
"Two monsters down, only three to go. That one was fast — we didn't even have to do much. No break needed. Let's keep moving."
He pivoted and walked off.
One by one, the others followed.
I took one last glance at the two pups—still unmoving. Then I resumed walking.
Hours passed.
We kept hunting advanced-rank monsters nonstop. Even with a team like ours, it wasn't easy.
We stayed connected on the class group chat — students shared monster locations, flagged cleared or dangerous zones.
It helped. We saved time, avoided traps, and tracked those pulling ahead.
We crossed paths with other student groups — some fighting, some lost. We stumbled across other beasts — sometimes hostile, sometimes not. But we didn't let anything go. Every kill meant points.
We made good progress.
When night finally fell, we decided to stop.
We improvised a camp with what we had.
We set up guard shifts — two at a time, rotating every few hours. While some slept on the ground or leaned against tree trunks, others stayed awake, eyes on the forest.
By late night, I was on watch with Aram.
The camp was silent except for wind rustling leaves and quiet snoring around us.
I sat on an old, chopped tree trunk — damp but steady. Aram stood nearby, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
In moments like this, my mind tends to wander — to my past life.
Honestly, not a day goes by without thinking about it. Since I transmigrated here, my past feels like a shadow, always there.
Too many questions.
Why me? Why Noah? Is someone watching me? What's the point of all this? I had no answers.
But one truth was clear: if I wanted to survive, I had to get stronger.
I ran a hand through my hair, then summoned a cigarette from my ring.
With a click of the lighter, I lit it and inhaled deeply.
There really was nothing better.
I sensed Aram watching me. I glanced over, then down at my cigarette.
"Oh. Want one?" I asked.
He shook his head. "...No."
I shrugged and returned to my quiet exhale.
The silence stretched — heavy but not uncomfortable. The kind only night brings, far from everything.
Then Aram finally spoke:
"Why did you want those horns, exactly?"
I turned toward him.
"Everyone has their secrets."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You seem to have way more than I'd like."
I smirked, amused.
"Oh? Like what?"
He chuckled softly.
"Your behavior — it's not exactly normal, you know? I'd be a fool not to notice."
I pretended to think, then, exhaling smoke, replied:
"So you're implying everyone else is foolish, then?"
"Don't put words in my mouth."
I laughed quietly, leaning in toward him.
"That's bold — coming from someone who also hides a lot."
His expression flickered slightly.
He opened his mouth, but I cut him off:
"Look at yourself. Your body language says it all. Your reaction proves I hit the mark — even though I wasn't sure when I said it."
He stared back.
"But that wasn't really the case, right? You believed me."
I shrugged.
"Who knows."
He stayed quiet for a moment, eyes on mine.
I took one last drag on my cigarette and exhaled slowly into the cold air.
"Come on, don't look at me like that. If you really want to save your family, you'll need to do more than just work for them you know?"
Silence pressed in again — but this time, it carried weight.
I saw his brow tighten slightly.
"…What are you talking about?" His voice was clipped, harsher.
I offered a half-smile, eyes still calm.
"You know exactly what I mean. I just wanted to shake you up. And — well, ears are always listening."
I tapped my temple with a finger — like a reminder to stay sharp.
He didn't like it.
In an instant, he lunged, grabbing me by the collar. My cigarette fell to the ground.
"What the hell are you on about, Noah?!" he shouted — far too loud.
I stared coldly into his eyes.
Then I flicked the remaining smoke from my mouth straight at his face.
He took a step back, jaw clenched, eyes burning.
I stood up slowly, brushing off my clothes — no rush.
"Don't grab me like that again. Seriously..."
His breathing was ragged, I could see him fighting to stay composed.
Behind us, a rustle, someone woke from slumber.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rowan growled, half-asleep. "You think tomorrow's some kind of chill day?"
I was about to answer with a grin—"It's all go—"
Then an icy shiver ran down my spine.
A preternatural sense of danger, pure and instinctual, slammed into us like a physical force.
The camp froze in place.
And then — our heads snapped upward.
And we saw it.
A gigantic dragon, falling from the sky, wings folded, jaws agape.
A fucking dragon.