Rumble—!

The ground trembled fiercely, and the trees shattered.

"Ueeeekkk!"

A cry pierced through the forest as four pairs of eyes, no ordinary eyes, but orbs that filled anyone who looked at them with dread, flickered to life in the depths of darkness.

Like two beacons of light, they pierced through the blackness, their ominous gaze fixed upon the five figures that scrambled through the forest in panic.

"Haaa… Haaa… How much longer do we have to run?"

"We're almost there."

Jacob responded, briefly recalling the details of the surroundings.

"Haa… I… I'm starting to get tired."

"Just grit your teeth and continue running. Sophia and Jessica are both doing better than you so there's no reason why you can't keep up with them."

"Haa… But I'm carrying Linus!"

"Just stop compl—"

Rumble—!

The towering trees behind them splintered into fragments as a colossal pillar violently impaled the ground, launching chunks of earth high into the air.

"Akh!"

"Run faster!"

If not for the fact that he had to stay back to shield the attacks, Jacob would've already arrived at the designated location that Linus had marked beforehand on the map of their surroundings.

However, according to the commands, they all had to keep the same pace for at least a couple of kilometers before the designated location, hence why he was still next to them.

In case anything happened, he could quickly aid them with his skills.

'I can't believe I'm even doing this…'

Where did it all go wrong?

All it took was a simple fist to his face and a few cold words from Linus and before he knew it, everyone was following his orders.

The current Linus was different.

He… had a similar vibe to Julien.

No, for a moment, their figures overlapped and that was what pressured them into doing this.

"Ah, fuck…!"

Jacob clenched his teeth in annoyance.

"Jessica, help bring Sophia forward."

A calm voice echoed in the air.

"Once you get Sophia, run at full speed toward the marked point. I'll tell you what to do after that."

"Okay."

Jessica didn't question the command at all. She turned to look at Sophia, who looked back at her.

"Grab my hand."

In order to go to the destined location faster, Jessica had no choice but to bring Sophia with her, who wasn't very fast due to her being a mage.

This was different for Jessica who specialized in speed.

"I've got her, what… haa… else?"

"Besides the two of you, everyone keep up at the same pace."

Linus glances in Jacob's direction.

"Use your scent of bloom, the aggro skill you used a few times before to get the monster's attention. Use it now so that Sophia and Jessica can move forward without any interference."

"Hold on tightly Sophia."

With Sophia clinging to her body, Jessica no longer needed to hold back. Tightening her calves, she surged forward with an impressive burst of speed.

WOOOM—!

Her body shot like an arrow, gracefully maneuvering through the dense forest, effortlessly avoiding each tree in her path.

It wasn't long before the two of them arrived on a narrow land that was completely flat and devoid of any trees.

Jessica quickly took out her communication device.

"We're here, what do we do?"

—Have Sophia cast a simple frost spell on the ground. Leave a small trail that connects to the center.

"Ah, frost spell? Leave a small trail that connects to the center?"

Despite not comprehending the instruction, Jessica instinctively nudged Sophia, who responded by raising her staff.

In an instant, a cold, luminescent light emanated from the wand, giving birth to a small blue magic circle hovering beside it. From within the circle, a beam of blue light surged forth, colliding with the ground and leaving a trail of frost in its wake.

The air around the two immediately grew cold and Sophia's face paled considerably. Given how precisely she needed to control her skill and how she was still tired from the nonstop fighting from before, it was only natural for her to feel weak after casting a spell.

"Is this enough?"

Jessica anxiously asked, staring at Sophia nervously while showing Linus the image through the communication device. It didn't seem Sophia could hold on for very long.

—No. More. It's too thin. Have her build a small ramp at the center. About half a meter tall.

"What...?"

—Make it as dense as possible. Enough to withstand a powerful impact.

"I… Okay."

Jessica bit her lips and once again nudged at Sophia who nodded and pointed her staff toward the middle.

'She might pass out at this rate.'

Jessica was already starting to grow concerned over Sophia's situation, but seeing her still obediently following the instructions, Jessica swallowed her words.

Even she didn't understand why they were following Linus's commands, but his cold and indifferent voice made it hard for them to disobey.

Following the instructions precisely, a ramp began to take shape, rising gradually before them. However, as they neared the end of the construction, Sophia's magic circle faltered, causing the magic to wane in strength.

Jessica immediately grew anxious.

"Sophia, you can st—"

—Don't stop. Continue.

Linus' words carried an icy coldness that seemed ever colder than the ice in front of her. It seemed as though he held no regard for Sophia's condition, showing a complete indifference towards her.

Yet, at the same time. For some reason, Jessica felt a certain reassurance from the voice that made it hard for her to speak back.

Thankfully, Sophia was able to persevere and the ramp fully formed.

"What ne—"

Booom—!

"Oh, no."

Jessica's face grew pale.

"They're here."

Rustle—! Rustle—!

The bushes around them rustled and Linus, Jacob, and Rick appeared immediately after. Trailing behind them, the 'Mother' advanced with its eight legs, each step puncturing the ground with terrifying force.

"It's coming! Do something!"

Rick's shouts echoed loudly in the forest, and right as he stepped into the field, he almost slipped on the ice.

"Huekk—Why is there ice!?"

"There's a trail that's untouched follow that!"

Jessica yelled, pointing at the untouched trail that led to the icy ramp in the middle.

"Ah, I see it!"

Rick was just about to jump over when a certain voice rang in everyone's ears.

—No. The trail is only for Jacob. Run alongside the flatland. One to the left, and the other to the right. Look for a red smiley face on the body of the 'mother'. That's its weak point.

"Uh?"

—Do it.

"…Okay."

It looked like she wanted to say a lot of things, but Jessica followed his command, and so did Rick.

"What the hell…? What is this supposed to be? Why does it look like I'm being selected as the sacrifice? Just you wait when I get out of this… I'll make sure to skin you alive…"

On the other hand, Jacob seemed rather hesitant, but after throwing a couple of curses under his breath, he rushed toward the small trail that led toward the ramp.

Right as he positioned himself there, he asked.

"What do I do now?"

—Aggro the monster.

"Uh...?"

Jacob's eyes opened widely as he turned to look at the 'Mother' who towered over him. It was only a few meters behind him.

"Are you out of your mind!? Are you asking me to die? Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. I…"

—Do it.

"Fuck. Fucking fuck!"

Jacob clenched his teeth. His usual composed and refined demeanour was long gone and only swear words flew out of his mouth. The worst of it all was the fact that he found himself unable to refute Linus's voice and a rosy mist suddenly enveloped the area.

Scent of Blood — His own innate skill that allowed him to aggro any monster by just smelling the odor that came out of his body.

"Hieeek!"

The 'Mother's' enraged shout echoed throughout the forest and its eyes settled over Jacob who raised his hand and beckoned it in his direction.

"Come."

"Hieeek!"

As if understanding his gesture, the 'Mother' rushed toward him with alarming speed.

Rumble—! Rumble—!

The ground quaked with every step, and Jacob positioned his shield forward. At the same time, he didn't forget to curse at the communication device.

"Oy! I don't know what you're planning on doing, but if that thing charges at me like that I'm going to die!"

—Get on your knees.

"The fuc—"

—Get on your knees and position your shield over your left shoulder. Tilt it ever so slightly and cushion some of the force from its leg. Make sure you re-direct the attack to the ramp. Everything depends on how well you can cushion the attack.

"Ah...?"

Jacob's eyes opened widely. But before he could even process the information, the 'Mother' was already upon him. Or more precisely, its leg which directly shot in his direction.

Reacting purely out of instinct, Jacob swiftly dropped to his knee and obediently followed the instructions. He positioned the shield beside the ramp and tensed his muscles as he pushed the shield up a bit.

At that precise moment, the 'Mother's' leg forcefully collided with the shield, producing a resounding metallic clank that echoed through the surrounding forest.

CLANK—!

Sparks flew in the air.

"Akh! Fuck—"

—Redirect it.

'You think I'm not trying?!' Jacob wanted to say those words so badly but he couldn't as a sweet sensation in his throat stifled his voice, rendering him unable to utter them.

The sheer force of the attack overwhelmed him, pushing his limits. Yet, he persevered, knowing that his task was to absorb and cushion the blow.

Just as he reached his breaking point, he tilted the shield ever so slightly, causing the 'Mother's' leg to glide down the icy ramp.

"Akh!"

Streaks of blood trailed down his mouth, but drawing upon every ounce of strength, Jacob grit his teeth and propelled the 'Mother's' leg down the slick ice ramp.

Whiiiing—!

The ramp withstood the tremendous force exerted by the leg, allowing it to slide along its surface even after reaching the end, still carrying momentum.

With a lot of its force absorbed by Jacob, the ramp and the ice beneath it didn't shatter and the leg continued to skid down, making the 'Mother' lose its balance.

The 'Mother' other legs quickly clamped onto the ground, trying to stop itself from sliding forward.

"Hiaaaaak!"

But the momentum was far too much. The 'Mother' slid forward, and a certain calm voice rang in everyone's ears.

—Jessica. Now's your chance. Aim for the joints of its leg.

"On it."

She didn't need to be told what she needed to do. The moment she saw Jacob slide the leg down the ramp, she understood everything, and her body rushed toward the leg.

Cr…Crack!

With each one of her steps the ice beneath her cracked and she reached the leg in no time.

Bang—!

Jessica propelled her body forward, her daggers finding their mark as they plunged into the 'Mother's' leg. In a swift, fluid motion, she deftly severed a section of the leg, separating it from the monster.

"Hiaaaaak!"

In response to the searing pain, the 'Mother' emitted a frenzied cry, its instincts taking over as it trashed around.

In a desperate attempt to regain stability, it instinctively reached for its severed leg, hoping to use it as support. However, the severed limb only served to disrupt its balance further, causing it to slip and slide uncontrollably on the icy surface.

—I found the smiley face.

Linus's voice echoed inside of everyone's communications.

—It's on the sac. Right toward the bottom.

—Okay. You two sneak toward it. When I say so, attack it. Jacob, are you still there?

—Ugh… barely.

—Position yourself.

—What?! Psycho! Are you…Cough… going to make me take another hit? Because if you are, you can dream on! I can't take any more of those… Cough.

—Do you have enough energy to throw your shield?

—That? I… I think I do.

—Okay. Get ready.

—Throw where?

—Jessica. Next leg. Same side. Attack it now.

—Oy...! You haven't answered me!

"On it."

Jessica had already been at it before he even had to say anything to her. It wasn't for nothing that she was selected in Haven. Her skillset was nothing to scoff at.

Propelling her body forward, Jessica dashed forward, her aim sealed on the 'Mother's' leg.

Bang—!

She had just left the ground when a calm voice suddenly echoed in her ears.

—Jacob throw your shield at Jessica. Rick, attack.

Uh?

The command left Jessica stunned. Not just her, but everyone else, but she didn't have time to dwell over it as the 'Mother's' body suddenly hunched. And that's when Jessica suddenly felt dread

The spinneret was aimed directly at her, and she could see a silvery white streak head in her direction at rapid speeds.

Oh, shit!

It all happened so fast that she had no time to properly process what was going on, but she understood one thing. If that hit her… she was going to die. To make matters worse, she couldn't stop herself as she was in mid-air.

A streak of something ominous tore through the air, hurtling directly towards her. Glinting ominously under the moonlight, it maintained its trajectory, inching closer with each passing moment.

Never before did Jessica feel death so close, and just as she was about to meet the streak, something crashed against the side of her body.

Bang—!

"Ugkh!"

Jessica groaned as she felt her body twist in the air.

Boom—!

Her body crashed against one of the trees, and she felt several bones break upon impact. Even so, she kept her gaze ahead and that was when she saw a thin and long silky line. It pierced through everything in its path.

She nervously gulped when she stared at the line. Had it hit her, she would've died without a doubt.

"Uaaaakh!"

Her attention was quickly taken away by a certain scream and when she turned her head, her eyes opened wide as she witnessed Rick, who had been quiet the entire time, stab directly at the 'Mother's' abdomen.

A green liquid quickly spurted out from the body of the 'Mother' as it trashed around, sending Rick flying away.

That's when Jessica finally realized what had happened and she smiled bitterly.

'So... I was the bait.'

Right, it made sense. She was the one whom the 'Mother' was most wary of after what she had done to its leg.

It was only natural she would be targeted.

Rumble—! Rumble—!

The Mother's rampage continued, leaving nothing in its wake unscathed.

Trees were uprooted, the ground was torn apart, and rocks shattered into fragments. However, the chaos was abruptly halted by a resounding 'thump', plunging the surroundings into an eerie silence.

Surrounded by an unsettling stillness, Jessica's senses heightened, and she could feel her mouth growing dry.

Slowly, her lips parted, her heart unable to calm itself down.

"Did… we do it?"