**
Liam ran a hand through his curly brown hair before answering. A hesitant silence lingered before his words. For a moment, he listened to the surroundings instead of replying. The distant chirping of birds had ceased ominously—a sign of the approaching storm.
"For now, we don't need to rush," he finally said. "The next collapse will likely take time to reach our current location. We're safe for at least another day. But…"
His sentence hung in the air. His eyes narrowed as if mentally mapping the shrinking battlefield. He took another deep breath before continuing.
"If the beasts from the beach start migrating inward in large numbers, it'll create a domino effect. Their territories will shift, prey will scatter, and weaker creatures will be pushed deeper into the forest. It won't be an orderly retreat—it'll be chaos. And if those fleeing monsters clash with the native species…" His eyes met Olivia's. "It'll force everything—including us—toward the heart of the island."
Kaelen, seemingly bored by the grim discussion, paused. There was a familiar glint in his eyes—like someone spotting opportunity in chaos.
"So…" he said, his eyes slightly narrowed. "What do you suggest we do?"
Liam didn't look at Kaelen directly. His gaze remained distant, locked onto some unseen threat. Olivia, too, remained silent, watching Liam as if his next words would decide their fate.
"Hmm…" Liam murmured. "We have two options. Either we hold our ground and face the approaching beasts… or we descend to the next layer and join the territorial battles."
Olivia's brows furrowed. "Joining the battles… could turn into a slaughter."
Her voice was low, laced with fear. Merely speaking the words felt like summoning misfortune. Kaelen, however, broke the silence.
"But the rewards would be worth it. Think about it," he said, a wild glint in his eyes. "While everyone else flees inward, we go the opposite way. We take advantage of the chaos, hunt wounded or cornered beasts. We need weapons to survive—and the best weapons come from fallen enemies."
His words were logical, but his motivation was different. He wasn't speaking out of caution—rather, he was drawn to the thrill of danger. To him, this was just a game—or rather, an opportunity to break free from fate's chains.
In situations like these, they called it *"the knotting of fate."* You might think you had choices, but in truth, you didn't. Your path was already set, and no matter what you did, it wouldn't make a meaningful difference. That's why Kaelen wanted to shatter his own chains. The only way to cut through fate's threads was to charge forward.
He took a step and leaped off the rocky ledge, landing softly in the forest below. The leaves crunched underfoot, the air thick with humidity. Olivia and Liam exchanged glances. At first, they hesitated—but in the end, they chose to trust Olivia's foresight.
The trio moved silently through the woods, suppressing their mana signatures using *"Kai"* techniques to avoid detection. Kaelen occasionally paused, listening to the surroundings, feeling the pulse of the earth. He read the vibrations in the air, the subtle sway of the trees. Liam watched him with a mix of awe and curiosity.
Most of the time, Liam couldn't perceive what Kaelen did. But it didn't make him feel inadequate—his observations were backed by knowledge. For instance, he was the first to notice the faint tracks on the ground.
"Wait," he whispered suddenly, stopping Kaelen and crouching down.
He pointed to deep imprints in the soil. Liam tried to cover one with his palm, but the print was far larger.
"This belongs to a large predator," he said carefully. "It passed through here a few hours ago. Probably clashed with some primates."
Kaelen didn't comment on Liam's theory. He merely glanced at the tracks, then noticed something else—dull metal marbles infused with mana. They bore the mark of a specific group.
*"Pheniyet…"* Kaelen murmured. *"Ahhh, this trial is starting to annoy me."*
He smirked. He was genuinely curious about what Pheniyet was thinking. These traps were clever—but inadequate. Kaelen's mind worked on a far more complex level.
Liam pointed toward a denser part of the forest.
"The beast is badly wounded… It went this way."
That direction led to the heart of the forest—a place so thick with foliage that even sunlight struggled to pierce through. Kaelen felt a primal urge stir within him. A wounded prey… meant opportunity.
"Let's go take a look," he said, sparks in his eyes.
The group nodded and pressed onward. The sun had reached its zenith. Time was slipping away, shadows shortening. The forest grew damper, the birdsong nearly gone.
Time was running out. It was too late to turn back.
The beast had fled deep into the woods. Kaelen felt a strong urge to follow it.
"Let's go take a look."
As the group moved, the sun climbed higher. Their remaining hours dwindled.
---