The night was deeper in the western woods — as if the stars themselves were afraid to watch.
Reynar walked behind Liora, the crunch of dead leaves underfoot oddly muffled. Shadows twisted at the edges of his vision, not with movement, but weight — like the darkness was watching.
"This will be your first real lesson in fieldwork," Liora whispered without turning. Her voice, soft as ever, carried across the silence like steel. "Things out here aren't like in drills. We're not here to fight for glory — we're here to survive, observe, and adapt."
Reynar nodded, gripping his shortblade. "Got it."
She glanced at him. "That blade still sharp?"
"Sharper than I am," he replied with a small smirk.
Liora didn't laugh, but he caught the corner of her mouth twitching. A win.
They reached the edge of the corrupted clearing — the same one they had scouted last night. But now… something had changed.
The air was thicker. The pulse of the voidseed had grown louder. Faint whispers — barely audible — echoed from the mist like fractured thoughts.
Reynar's System pinged softly.
[System Alert]
Void Corruption has spread: Hazard Zone Expanded by 12 meters
Unstable Entity Detected Nearby
Warning: Unknown Mutation Signature. Extreme Caution Advised.
Liora halted and knelt by the earth. "Tracks."
She brushed aside ash and pointed at claw marks in the soil — long, unnatural grooves scorched into the ground. "Something left this nest recently. Something large."
Reynar knelt beside her. "So what now?"
She stood. "Now, we find it before it finds us."
They moved carefully, threading through the dying underbrush.
Void corruption had warped the forest here. Trees stood like charred skeletons, some fused together. A stag lay dead by a stream — but something had grown from it. Violet fungus bulged from its eyes, veins glowing like veins of fire beneath its skin.
Reynar stared at it, disturbed.
"This…" he whispered, "this isn't just decay. It's… transformation."
Liora nodded grimly. "That's what the Void does. It doesn't kill. It converts."
She turned. "Stay alert. We're not alone."
As if summoned by her words, a howl tore through the air — guttural and furious.
Then the trees ahead exploded.
A massive, twisted beast lunged from the underbrush — once a bear, now bloated with Void corruption. Its skin was cracked stone. Its eyes dripped black smoke. Bone jutted from its spine like jagged blades.
[Voidbeast — Ruinspawn Bear | Level 17]
Type: Mutated Predator | Status: Aggressive
Estimated Threat Level: High
Weak Point: Left rear flank (exposed mutation core)
"Get back!" Liora yelled, already channeling wind into her staff.
But Reynar didn't retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward, heart pounding — not with fear, but focus.
"I've got your back," he said.
"Don't be stupid, it's too—!"
The Voidbeast charged.
Liora's spell met its chest, blasting wind like a cannon — but it only staggered.
Then it swiped — faster than expected — and she barely managed to dodge, rolling into the brush. Her staff flew from her grip.
"Liora!" Reynar shouted.
The beast turned to her, growling — cracked claws raised.
She was cornered.
And just like that — the moment from the forest flashed in his mind.
When he was the one down.
When she had stood before him, staff drawn, fearless in the face of death.
Not again.
Reynar surged forward, no hesitation. The System's overlay flickered, highlighting weak points.
He dove left, dodging a claw, and slammed his blade into the beast's exposed flank — right where the mutation core pulsed beneath twisted muscle.
The Voidbeast howled in agony, stumbling back.
[Critical Hit — Weak Point Struck! | Bonus EXP Awarded]
+150 EXP
Status Effect: Core Disruption (Minor)
"Liora, now!" Reynar shouted.
She scrambled upright, eyes wide — then her hands blurred in a gesture.
"Hold it still!"
Reynar gritted his teeth, using both hands to dig his blade in deeper as the beast reared back.
Wind magic roared behind him.
With a final cry, Liora unleashed a spiraling lance of compressed air — it slammed into the exposed core.
The beast shrieked as it exploded inwards, dissolving into black smoke.
Reynar stumbled back, panting.
Then—stillness.
Ash rained softly in the aftermath.
Liora rushed to him, grabbing his shoulders.
"Are you insane? You could've been—"
He grinned, exhausted. "I'm fine. You?"
She stared at him, breathless — then slowly, her expression shifted.
Pride.
"…You saved me," she said softly.
Reynar shrugged. "Felt familiar, like when we first met..."
A moment passed. They stood in the clearing, side by side, covered in dust and blood.
Then—
[System Update]
New Combat Trait Unlocked: "Adaptive Instinct"→ You gain a 10% evasion bonus against enemies you've observed in combat for 30+ seconds.
Companion Affinity — Liora: 78%→ New Title: "Battle Partner" Unlocked.
Joint Skill Progression: Tactical Coordination – Rank C-→ You and Liora now gain +3% bonus damage when targeting the same enemy.
Unknown to either of them, a pair of glowing eyes watched from the treetops.
A girl — no older than sixteen — crouched on a thick branch, clad in rough leather. Pale silver hair. Beastkin ears tucked low. Her gaze sharp and calculating.
She had been drawn by the mana surge.
The moment she saw Reynar plunge his blade into the beast's core — and the way Liora followed his call without hesitation — she paused.
Then, silently, she turned away.
Slipping into the trees like a ghost.
Back at the edge of the corruption zone, Liora and Reynar finally exhaled.
"That was…" Reynar muttered, "…the most terrifying thing I've ever done."
"But you did it," Liora said. "And you didn't freeze."
"Thanks to you."
She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "We'll cleanse this place soon. But for now, we rest. You've earned that much."
They turned back toward Eldwyn, footsteps light despite the weight of battle.
The Void was not sleeping anymore.
But neither were they.