For about twenty years he had been operating as a soldier in the military army, the most important thing Levin learned during that time was probably to never put his fate in the hands of someone he couldn't trust 100 percent. Hell, even someone he trusted to have his back in the end betrayed him, let alone someone he didn't know anything about. That was why he felt so strange and uncomfortable to leave the tiny little mouse robot in front of him guiding him into the unknown forest.
That wasn't the only thing that made him feel uneasy. As a modern soldier, he was trained in an urban combat situation, never anything like a forest or mountain. Hell, the amount of forest his old world had could even be counted on one hand, considering how much the alien burnt it down during their first invasion. Up until he died, humans in his world still didn't know why the aliens did that. The point was, even though Levin knew all the theories about the military operation in a forest, this was the first time in a long time that he would do that, and he didn't know what he would face next. That was why his body tensed all the time as if expecting for something or someone to attack him from behind the bush.
Of course, Mira who walked behind him could see that. She also gripped the wooden staff tightly, getting ready for any incoming attack. She didn't want to be a burden for Levin if another fight broke out. Those two walked silently, following the tiny mouse robot that squeaked in front of him. It was a strange sight, but since nobody was there, no one would question their sanity.
"Hey, hey, why are you guys so tense like this?!" Even Chen Ze who could only see them from the eyes of the mouse noticed the awkward atmosphere around them. "This shouldn't be your first time going to this forest, right?"
"Yeah, Uncle Chen Ze. But our first time here is not a good time." Mira forced a smile as she said that.
Inwardly, Levin berated the man for being an insensitive jerk. He knew that although Mira was back to her usual cheerful girl, she still flinched a little whenever the girl saw his laser gun. She might think that he didn't notice that, but Levin was always an observant one. The soldier knew that the girl didn't say anything about that because the gun was his weapon, and he was the only fighter in the group. So, this gun, to some extent, also protected her from the danger outside. That didn't mean she would forget the torture that the illusionist inflicted on her, though.
"Also, in case you forget, we barely touched the forest the last time we were here, just walking around its edge without going deeper. Even with all the cautiousness, we still got ambushed by the illusionist. So, don't you think that exploring the forest deliberately in the daylight will make it more dangerous?" Levin reminded the scientist.
Chen Ze – or at least his robot mouse – went quiet after hearing that as if he was pondering about something. "Well, you have a point here. But you need to be more relaxed! Don't be tensed all the time, just think of it as an adventure to explore the unknown!" The robot mouse started running around comically as if it chased its tail, eliciting a small giggle from Mira. "Atta girl! This young lady also understands the importance of having fun too, you know?" Even though Levin couldn't see it, he could imagine the smug smile formed on the scientist's face, and he just rolled his eyes in exasperation.
However, before he could say anything, Levin saw the tip of the mouse's nose turn bright red, and a series of beeping sounds suddenly could be heard coming from the robot.
"Shit! We are closer! About 500 meters away from Eggly! Come on!" Chen Ze's voice was excited.
However, Levin didn't share the same excitement. The closer they were to the robot eagle, the more he felt danger all around him. He could feel so many eyes staring from behind the trees and even from the top of it, and when he turned around, all the gazes disappeared instantly. Not only that, but the quiet forest suddenly got busier behind the scenes. Even though Mira and Chen Ze couldn't notice it, Levin could hear someone – or something walked as if it was following them.
Honestly, all Levin wanted to do right now was to run away. His danger sense had been screaming at him to escape from this place, telling him that something dangerous was lurking from behind. However, he couldn't back down for now. This was also one of the soldier's jobs, to tackle all the obstacles in front of him no matter how dangerous was.
He signaled Mira to walk slower, then hissing at Chen Ze behind the robot mouse, "Turn off the alarm! Also, can you turn off the bright red lamp on its nose? It is too obvious here, attracting too much attention."
Fortunately, this time, Chen Ze noticed his tense state and did exactly what Levin asked before asking back in a whisper, "Is there something wrong?" Mira also leaned closer, wanting to know about it.
"I don't know how, who, or what, but we are being watched here," Levin whispered back, the laser gun in his hand was ready to be shot at any time. "I am still trying to figure out how many are watching us, their ability, and what is their intention. Well, if it is another player, that would make it easy since they just want to kill us, right?"
"Wait, you mean that you are being watched by more than one person?" Chen Ze caught that and asked immediately.
"Yes, at least four… No, five." Levin answered shortly. "Mira, get closer to me. Get ready to defend yourself at any time. I don't care about your method, using your wooden staff, the magic that you haven't shown to me yet, or even the dagger that I gave you before. Just use everything to survive. You are not allowed to die, okay?"
"Um!" Mira nodded, scampering over to get closer to Levin.
They spent the next few minutes in tense silence, with Levin's eyes wandering around to figure out who was observing them. The sounds of leaves and twigs snapping filled the air, and he could still hear footsteps. But just like before, when he turned around, he saw nothing. They were still alone here.
"Uncle, I am scared…" Mira walked closer to him, whimpering lowly. It seemed she also started noticing something was off in this forest.
"Just stay close to me and get ready to fight," Levin answered shortly, not even turning his head at her. He still had his eyes wandering around subtly to figure out everything here.
"Psst… We are getting closer." Chen Ze hissed at them, making the tension rise astronomically.
As they deeper into the forest and got closer to the signal Chen Ze caught from Eggly, Levin suddenly heard the sound of rushing water, and he widened his eyes instantly, realizing that they had just found a body of water for the first time since this damn game began. It could be a river or a waterfall, but whatever that was, it would be a big deal when things like water and food became scarce, and even though he still had his guard on for the unknown enemies around him, he felt excited about this discovery.
However, what he saw in the waterfall made his jaw drop in shock. There, standing in the clear water was a giant mammoth! It was as tall as a skyscraper, with long, curved tusks and thick, shaggy fur. The massive creature splashed water around as it took a bath, enjoying the coolness of the waterfall. Surrounding the mammoth were all sorts of wild animals—deer, rabbits, and even birds—playing and splashing in the water. Even Mira who was tensed for the last couple of minutes also stared at the sight in front of her in disbelief, having never seen something like that in her life before.
Just then, the mammoth suddenly noticed their presence, turning toward them both, and spoke in a deep, echoing voice that shook the trees around them. "What are you doing here, human?!"