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The ground trembled. Strange cries echoed in the distance. Soon, they would rush in.

Who?

The monsters.

Despite the considerable effort spent to reduce their numbers, it seemed to have little effect.

There was no time to pack leisurely. They had to leave behind blankets, leather, and provisions, taking only their backpacks in haste.

Naturally, Ian took the lead. It was too dark to rely on moonlight alone.

They didn’t have the luxury of making torches, so Ian conjured floating fireballs in the air to illuminate their surroundings.

Although maintaining the fireballs would steadily drain his mana, it was better than stumbling or panicking at shadows. With more than ten fireballs floating above, it was bright enough.

“Is this alright? Won’t we draw too much attention?” Mael asked, glancing back nervously.

While keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings, Ian responded, “It doesn’t matter. Moving quietly is only for when you’re hunting or avoiding people’s notice. Against beasts or monsters, this is better. The weaker ones won’t dare come near.”

“Is that so?” Mael sounded doubtful but nodded after hearing Ian’s explanation.

Though cries echoed from various directions, they hadn’t encountered any monsters so far. It seemed Ian was right.

Perhaps the brief calm caused Mari to relax as she suddenly struck up a conversation.

“I’ve been wondering, the reason we’re moving like this… it’s because of some kind of fruit, right?”

“That’s right.”

“What is it, exactly? Why are the monsters flocking like this?”

“…Didn’t I explain that already?”

“You didn’t. We didn’t exactly have the time or the opportunity, did we?”

Ian realized he hadn’t offered them any explanation.

To them, it must have seemed like they were attacking the mercenary group out of nowhere, only to end up fleeing from a sudden monster onslaught.

Even so, they had followed orders. Since there was no reason to hide the truth, Ian calmly began to explain.

“…The Fruit of Ruin refers to a black powder created by the necromancer sect among dark mages.”

“Powder? But why is it called a fruit?”

“I don’t know that either. Whoever named it did as they pleased. Anyway, when that powder is thrown into a fire, the flames turn violet and emit a special frequency. This frequency stimulates the instincts and appetite of monsters, drawing them to its origin.”

“And what about people?”

“I’m not sure. From what I know, it only causes slight discomfort, nothing too serious. If someone is insensitive to external magical reactions, they might not even feel it. But it could still be dangerous.”

Mael joined the conversation, sounding puzzled. “If it attracts monsters, wouldn’t that be a good thing? We wouldn’t need to go searching for their habitats, and with a little effort, we could take care of them easily!”

Mari scoffed. “What if, instead of monsters, a behemoth shows up?”

“Mari, there aren’t any behemoths around here.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“There have been no sightings, no records. If there were behemoths, the Black Spear Knights would have been dispatched, not us.”

“…I’ve never felt more embarrassed to be your sibling than I do right now. Do you even realize how ignorant that statement is? Hmm? What do you think, my lord, about this fool?”

Listening to their exchange, Ian barely held back a laugh before answering.

“Ignorance is not a crime.”

“Did you hear that, Mari? The lord has spoken.”

“However, assuming there are no behemoths just because there haven’t been any sightings or records is a very dangerous way of thinking.”

“Excuse me?”

“A behemoth can appear anywhere that an Outer Gate opens. Especially here, where gates frequently form. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Think about it—what if, by some stroke of bad luck, we encounter one? How many of us here would survive?”

For those who were only at Level 3, their chances of surviving an encounter with a behemoth were extraordinarily slim.

Mael and Mari couldn’t answer right away. The truth was, the answer was obvious.

“We’d probably all die.”

Whatever Verdan’s intentions were in assigning the Red Spear Knights to this mission, he wouldn’t have sent capable and decent warriors to die in such a meaningless way.

“Don’t count on some passing hero to come to the rescue. That’s a foolish hope.”

There were only twelve heroes in the world, scattered across various regions. Meeting one by chance was already unlikely, let alone expecting one to show up exactly when needed to save them. If that were possible, no one would die unjustly in this world.

“…But what if we run into monsters that are either following us or in our path?” Mael asked as he turned his head toward Ian. Ian also stopped in his tracks, and naturally, the Red Spear Knights following silently behind them halted as well.

Ian smirked and replied, “What else? We fight them. Why ask something so obvious?”

In the thick darkness, the faint silhouettes of monsters quietly approaching could be seen.

At Mael’s shout to prepare for battle, the Red Spear Knights quickly formed a battle line, and the monsters, leaping out of the bushes, rushed at them with fierce momentum.

However, they were no match for the fully armed Red Spear Knights, and the situation was resolved quickly.

There were no injuries, nor was the battle particularly fierce, so they continued their march.

Though they had to fight a few more times after that, they were fortunate not to encounter any particularly dangerous monsters.

Thanks to this, they managed to reach a safe zone without any serious issues.

“Let’s rest here.”

They selected those with the most stamina to keep watch while the rest of the group took a much-needed break.

The unexpected battles and night march had clearly worn out even the Red Spear Knights, and they all showed signs of exhaustion.

Just as Ian was about to feel guilty seeing their tired expressions, he looked up at the shadow suddenly looming overhead.

“!”

A massive bird, far larger than anything he had ever seen, spread its wings wide, slowly descending with the moon at its back.

There should have been some sound, some sign of its presence, but none had been detected.

‘A behemoth?’

Ian quickly stood up and tried to reach for his weapon, but the moment he became fully aware of the creature, a crushing sense of pressure weighed down on him.

The behemoth slowly turned its eyes, as if carefully selecting its prey. Ian’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst.

‘What should I do?’

Should he shout for them to run?

But who could possibly escape? No one would be able to move a single step.

In the suffocating silence, where even the sound of breathing couldn’t be heard, Ian tried to move his fingers.

A twitch—

They moved.

‘Should I fight it?’

But there was no chance of winning.

The creature was airborne, its strength immeasurable, and its abilities completely unknown.

Fighting it now would only lead to certain defeat. Even if he drew his weapon, there was no guarantee he could deal any real damage.

‘Right now…?’

It might be best to stay still for now. How much time had passed? The silence was shattered as the behemoth flapped its wings.

Whoosh!

A powerful gust swept through, extinguishing the campfire and knocking down the knights, whether they were sitting or standing, unable to withstand the force.

Ian was the only one left standing. The behemoth, appearing disinterested, turned its head indifferently and left as abruptly as it had arrived.

A deep silence settled over the group.

“……”

No one spoke. As if they were in a shared dream, the Red Spear Knights blinked in unison and glanced at one another, letting out a collective sigh of relief.

“We survived.”

Someone muttered those words.

Ian silently agreed. It was as if all his remaining energy had been drained; his limbs felt weak.

Mael, who had fallen earlier, let out a hollow laugh and said, “Was that really a behemoth just now?”

“…Most likely.”

“Incredible. A behemoth actually appeared. If we had stayed at the base, would we have had to fight that thing?”

Mari shot Mael a sharp look and snapped, “Idiot! Did you even see what just happened? Fight it? We would’ve been hunted down! I have no idea why it just left without attacking us, but we were lucky. It wouldn’t have been surprising if one of us had been eaten…”

“Lucky? No, you’re wrong, Mari. We didn’t survive because of luck.”

“Here we go again. What nonsense are you going to spout this time?”

“Tsk tsk. We survived not because of luck but thanks to the young master who led us out of that place. Think about it.”

Mael tapped the side of his head with his fingers in a mocking gesture, which seemed to irk Mari, judging by her expression.

Oblivious to her irritation, Mael continued with a smug look on his face, “If the young master hadn’t been with us, would we have even known that the mercenary group was tied to a Dark Mage?”

“……”

“Exactly. And if we didn’t know that, would we have realized they used the Bane of Evil powder?”

“……”

“We wouldn’t have. Right? Monsters would’ve swarmed us, and we’d be scrambling, clueless about what was happening. We’d have ended up fighting the monsters, and eventually, that behemoth we just saw would’ve swooped in and finished us off. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

Mari frowned. She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. He was right. However, her pride wouldn’t let her admit it easily.

With Ian standing right next to her, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly nodded.

“Fine, Mael. You’re right. I guess I misspoke.”

“Heh heh heh. As long as you know.”

Ian couldn’t help but chuckle at the sibling banter. He glanced down at his palms, noticing they were drenched in sweat. Instead of feeling relieved that they had survived, he was more embarrassed.

‘I still have a long way to go.’

Despite his rapid growth thanks to his unexpected return to the past, he needed to become much stronger if he wanted to stand a chance against a behemoth.

They were fortunate that no one had been killed. Had someone been eaten by the behemoth, the consequences would have been devastating.

This encounter helped him refocus, grounding him once more.

The chaos brought on by the behemoth’s sudden appearance soon passed. They reignited the campfire and shared some of the spare rations they had hastily packed before settling down for some rest.

The Red Spear Knights were already fast asleep on the ground, exhausted, while Ian sat by the fire, absentmindedly fiddling with a stick.

“Young Master.”

It seemed Mael couldn’t sleep, as he called out to Ian while sitting up from where he had been lying down.

“What is it?”

“That bag, wasn’t it the one carried by the mercenary captain?”

“Oh, this? Yeah, it was.”

The bag had survived the flames of the Star Spear without a scratch, so Ian had brought it along. However, after the encounter with the behemoth, he had completely forgotten about it, even though it was right next to him.

In fact, one of the Red Spear Knights had returned it to him after it had been blown away by the behemoth’s wingbeat.

“Aren’t you going to open it?”

“Yeah, I suppose I should.”

“Then… could I take a look?”

He wasn’t asking for the bag itself, just to check its contents. There was no reason to refuse.

Seeing the curiosity in Mael’s eyes, Ian handed the bag over without hesitation. Mael, as if receiving a gift, eagerly opened it.

“Oh. This is pretty tidy for a mercenary.”

Mari, who had been lying down with her eyes closed, became interested and quietly moved over to Mael’s side.

“Some mysterious potions. Jerky that looks days old. Broken cookies. A scroll with some kind of magic imbued in it. And… this looks like a coin pouch.”

The bag wasn’t particularly large, but items kept coming out as if some space-expansion magic had been cast on it. Still, none of the items seemed especially valuable.

“Nothing special, huh?” Ian thought. Just as he was about to dismiss it, Mael suddenly made a sound.

“Huh?”

Everyone’s gaze shifted toward him as Mael sheepishly held up an object.

“It’s a pocket watch.”

Ian stared at it.

“Let me see that.”

Suddenly, Mari snatched the pocket watch from Mael and inspected it. However, she didn’t seem to find anything noteworthy, and after a moment of puzzling over it, she casually tossed it toward Ian.

Ian caught the flying watch, looking at her with confusion.

“You seemed interested. Was I meddling?”

“No, thanks.”

Now holding the pocket watch, Ian examined it. A watch, by itself, was already a luxury item, but this one was particularly small and slim, with intricate engravings on its surface.

“A mercenary wouldn’t carry something like this.”

Then again, being a Dark Mage, perhaps he could afford it.

“Suspiciously wealthy types…”

Ian pressed the button protruding from the side of the watch, and with a click, the watch opened. As he observed the complex pattern etched inside the lid, his eyes narrowed.

———