Pyhrmas Mountain Range. It was the northernmost place on the Cyrisse continent, just above the Republic of Minova, and by far the most dangerous. In the southern part of the mountains lay a forest spanning dozens of kilometers, home to multiple destructive-level beasts and a fair number of calamity-class ones. Going there without ample preparation would be tantamount to suicide.

  And that was exactly where the 13th Platoon squad’s investigation was taking place, and where Louis had decided to stage his disappearance.

  _ _ _

  Before entering the forest, we had already disembarked from our vehicles; the terrain wasn't suitable for driving cars. By that point, we had been moving through the endless greenery for six hours at a fairly fast pace, making it quite hard for me and the other recruits to keep up. Fortunately, the journey had been uneventful, so I was still in the clear.

  The towering trees almost completely blocked the sun, reducing visibility, and the vegetation was both diverse and deadly. Most plants were poisonous, and some could even go so far as to directly attack any living being in their vicinity. Not exactly a place you'd want to go camping, I have to say.

  Anyway, we were heading toward the Shadow Wolves' Canyon, where the ancient centipede had last been active. I could see that we had almost reached our destination: the trees were more scattered, and the sun was shining clearly above. I'd say about fifteen minutes more at this pace.

  Just then, lieutenant Gaspard, the squad captain, spoke up, reminding us of the mission.

  "We'll soon reach the investigation site. If you see any hostile creatures, do not engage and stay close to your teammates. We will split into three groups, the same as previously discussed, and then meet at the rendezvous point."

  We all nodded silently and quickened our pace.

  Thereafter, we had finally reached the border of the forest, the pure green grass on our feet gradually turning into dull grey stone. And ahead lay the entrance to the Shadow Wolves' Canyon.

  I glanced at the soldiers around me. To them, this was just another mission. To me, it was the perfect stage for a vanishing act. Once inside, I wouldn't be Cinza the recruit nor Louis the chimera anymore. I'd be no one—and 'no one' was free...

  ***

  "Huaaam... Hey David, I'm glad you finally decided to bring me outside, but... you still haven't told me what we're going to do."

  I said tiredly after yawning.

  On the other hand, the meathead dumbass was smiling widely while taking huge steps forward. Honestly, he looked like an idiot.

  "Isaac told me that you reached your first stage advancement after fighting a small pack of wolves, so I figured now was the perfect time to increase your real life-and-death battle experience."

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  My brows knit as I shrugged. "Heh, I believe I already managed pretty well against the little dogs. Who knows, I may simply have a knack for fighting?"

  "Hah! Want to have a go with me to prove it?"

  I ignored his comment and looked away. And at that moment, I actually looked at the scenery around me, it finally hit me: the world was beautiful. We were high on a mountain, and below stretched a sea of green. The forest was so vast it spanned beyond the horizon; I couldn't even see its end. And next to me, the towering mountains rose like giant spikes from the earth.

  "Woah..."

  I couldn't help but let out a small sound of amazement.

  David walked up beside me, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the endless forest below. His dumbass aura replaced by that of a philosopher, in a certain way?

  "It's wonderful, isn't it?" he said softly.

  I nodded, still breathless.

  Then his tone hardened, cutting through the quiet awe.

  "This... is what we wish to protect. Not just the land, but the people who live upon it. All of them. Every smile, every dream, every fragile life that would be erased if the main world had its way."

  I blinked, tilting my head. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask for a while... what is the main world?"

  Regaining his smile, he returned my stare. "Think of the main world as the capital. Every other world falls under its authority, we call it the Hierarchy. Nebula, where we live, is ranked 97th, in the lower realm. That bracket covers worlds ranked 100 to 61."

  "Hm. That seems... low."

  David chuckled. "And it is. Which is both bad and good. Bad, because it means Nebula is weak. Good, because the upper worlds hardly bother with us: there's little here worth stealing and the world’s conditions are, to put it nicely, pretty awful."

  I tilted my head further. "So... bottom of the food chain, basically."

  "Exactly. But Nebula had peace because of it. Well, that was at least until fifty years ago."

  His expression darkened. "Back then, the fairies discovered a crack in our world core. The OM energy field was damaged."

  "The what again..?"

  "Origin Matter energy field. I don't understand much about it myself but you can think of it as a shield. It keeps intruders out. Once it falters, outsiders can slip in. And they did. Dozens of untainted souls poured into Nebula. And other unwanted ennemies too..."

  "Untainted...?" I blinked.

  "Souls that never entered the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Newborn sparks that can only be birthed in the upper worlds, including the main world." He sighed. "And we're almost certain that's where they came from. The upper realms are too busy fighting among themselves to bother with any of the lower worlds."

  "Uhu..." I nodded absentmindedly. "Well, my head's gonna explode, so I'll refrain from asking more questions."

  He smiled, his voice calm and soothing, though I could see a hint of cruelty in his deep blue eyes.

  "Yes, that's a good idea. We've lost too much time. How about we start your tort— I mean, your training now?"

  I shivered unconsciously. He wanted to say 'torture' just now, right...?

  "Yes... please don't be too harsh on me," I said weakly, my voice barely audible.

  Even though I knew it could help me level up, I hated suffering! Who likes to feel pain, huh? Still, I followed him down the mountain without a word.

  *

  It was fast. After thirty minutes, we were already at the foot of the mountain—more precisely, the Shadow Wolves' Canyon. It was the most optimal place for mass genocide... Cough, training. According to David, the monsters here weren't very strong, and this place wasn't in the forest or high on the mountain, somewhere no strong creature would want to live because of its lack of... well, everything. The strongest monster here, always according to David, would be high-destructive class or something close to that. Still too much for me, but David was here. Not that it was comforting; he could probably leave me to die and tell me to handle it alone.

  In front of me, David stopped and turned to face me.

  "Eliza. We are at the border of the canyon. Your job is to survive for a week and kill at least one elder of the Shadow Wolf clan. Simple enough, isn't it?"

  "Hm." I nodded slowly. "But what's the level of one elder?"

  He grinned. "Depends. Could be low-destructive or mid-destructive class. It's on you to figure out which one is best to challenge," he said, winking at me.

  "Okay. I can do that." I nodded again.

  The blond man raised an eyebrow. "You seem more confident than I thought. Do you have a plan in mind?"

  I smirked. "Who knows? Maybe I'm simply just too good."

  David squinted at me, glaring. "Just go already. If you truly are in danger, use this and I'll come pick you up. I have other things to do for now."

  He handed me a little black box with a small blue button.

  "So I just have to press that button if I'm in danger, right?"

  "Yeah. There's a tracking device in there, so I'll find you in no time. But if you use it because of your own foolishness, I'll have to punish you for failing your mission!"

  I waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going now. See you in a week, my dear torturer."

  David smiled. "Haha, yes, that's the spirit! Good luck, you'll need it."

  I squinted. What the heck, does he like being insulted? Ugh, I hope the other people in their organization aren't that sick in the head...

  I sighed and turned, calmly entering the canyon.

  'I've already killed about twenty of those wolves, so it shouldn't be too hard anyways...'

  ___ ___ ___