I Can See Evolution Paths

The stone entrance stood silently beneath the enormous trees, its surface covered in writing that none of them could understand.

Arthur remained near the front of the group, staring at the ancient structure while Athena and Luna examined the strange symbols carved into the stone.

The writing appeared to be incredibly old. But the small marker Halburn had left beside the entrance was unmistakably newer, standing out against the weathered stone like a message deliberately left behind for someone who knew where to look.

They had finally found something connected to Halburn’s expedition. But the signs around the entrance suggested that they weren’t the only ones who had discovered this place.

Arthur crouched near the edge of the path and brushed aside the leaves covering the ground. Fresh footprints were pressed into the damp soil, several different sets of them. Unlike Halburn’s old markers, these signs had not been weathered by centuries of rain and overgrowth. A section of the ground had also been disturbed recently, while a broken piece of equipment lay partially hidden beneath a bush.

He studied the evidence for a few moments before standing again. "Looks like we aren’t the only ones searching this place."

Sun tightened his grip on his staff immediately. "You think someone else found the entrance?"

"Maybe." Arthur glanced deeper into the forest, following the direction of the footprints. "Or they’re still looking for it."

Luna’s expression turned uneasy. She had been unusually quiet since they discovered Halburn’s journal, and Arthur could understand why. The deeper they traveled into the forest, the more the ruins around them seemed to overlap with the stories her grandfather had told her about this region.

Ancient structures, strange lights, and something that had happened here long ago were all pieces of a story her grandfather had never wanted her to investigate.

Athena was about to say something when a voice came from deeper within the trees.

"You shouldn’t have come here."

Everyone turned at once.

Nine figures stepped out from between the trees, wearing dark robes that concealed most of their bodies, faces partially hidden beneath deep hoods, each carrying a different weapon, strange violet markings running along their sleeves and collars. They moved with the confidence of people who had expected someone to arrive here, rather than travelers who had simply happened upon the group.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed as he counted them. Nine people was a considerable difference from the small group they had encountered before, and judging by the way the hunters had spread themselves through the forest, they had no intention of allowing anyone to simply walk past them.

Mithra quietly shifted her stance while Melo moved closer to her side. Vedas lowered his golden spear, and Kong cracked his knuckles with an excited grin.

Luna, however, had gone completely still.

One of the robed figures stared at her for several seconds before his gaze dropped toward the markings on her clothing. His expression suddenly changed. "That clothing..."

Another hunter turned toward him. "What is it?"

His eyes remained fixed on Luna, sudden excitement in his voice. "I’ve seen those markings before." He took a step forward. "The girl Master Ronin is looking for!"

Her expression changed instantly. "Master Ronin?"

Arthur glanced at her, noticing the uncertainty crossing her face. "You know him?"

"Yes..." Luna frowned. "He was with Jaku and Rokkaku."

Arthur and the others frowned.

Then the robed figures moved. The strange markings on their robes illuminated one after another, and a thin violet mist seeped from beneath their feet, rolling outward across the forest floor, curling around the roots and grass like smoke, spreading slowly farther into the clearing.

Luna’s face went pale. "That mist..."

"I was wondering about it," Arthur sighed. "But it’s the same."

All of them watched as the haze continued spreading through the undergrowth. Wherever it touched, the surrounding plants trembled slightly, as though the forest itself could feel something moving through it.

"So they can control Beasts, instead of them going on a rampage?" Mithra asked, surprised.

"Well, they did let it spread, so I’m not surprised," Sun muttered.

One of the hunters raised his hand. "Come."

The forest answered. A light shone as Beasts rushed out from the hunters’ mana realms. A massive crocodile emerged first, its dark body covered in swamp-colored scales and jagged ridges, the same glow pulsing along its back as it opened its enormous jaws.

Behind it came a hulking gorilla with thick vines wrapped around its arms, followed by a black panther whose eyes shone with the same violet light.

More Beasts emerged. A thorn-covered boar. A giant moth whose wings released clouds of shimmering particles. A stag with enormous antlers. A serpentine creature that coiled between the roots. A massive spider descended from the branches. And finally, a bloated toad with an enormous mouth stepped into the clearing.

Nine hunters. Nine Beasts. The mist surrounded them all.

Sun stared at the creatures surrounding them and tightened his grip on his staff. "That’s quite a welcome party."

Kong looked at the enormous Beasts and grinned. "Good."

"No," Sun said immediately, turning toward him.

Kong’s grin widened. "Yes."

Before Sun could stop him, Kong charged straight into the nearest Beast. The Vineback Gorilla roared and slammed both fists into the ground, sending a wave of dirt through the clearing, but Kong leapt over the attack and crashed into it head-on, the impact shaking the surrounding trees.

Sun could only stare for a moment before shouting, "You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?"

Kong answered by driving another punch into the gorilla’s chest.

"I knew it."

At nearly the same time, the Mirefang Crocodile lunged toward Vedas, jaws snapping shut on empty air where he’d already twisted aside, bringing his golden spear around in the same motion. The spear struck the Beast’s armored shoulder and sent it skidding across the ground. It recovered almost immediately and charged again, far stronger than an ordinary crocodile, the strange energy flowing through its scales reinforcing its body even further.

Vedas smiled, tightening his grip. "Now that’s more like it." Golden light gathered around the spearhead as he activated Armor Piercing, driving the weapon straight through the Beast’s defenses and throwing it backward.

Meanwhile, Mithra had already disappeared from sight. The Nightclaw Panther attacked from behind, but she twisted away at the last possible moment, movements blurring as she slipped around its claws, several strikes landing against its side before it could even turn around. It roared and released a burst of purple energy, and she crossed her blades to block it, sliding several meters backward before Melo’s tails spread behind her and released a wave of dream mist that slowed the panther’s movements immediately.

"Thanks," Mithra said, glancing toward the little fox with a small smile, and vanished again. The panther never saw her coming.

On the other side of the clearing, Athena and Eden dealt with the Thornhide Boar, which charged through several trees without slowing, its body wrapped in the same violet haze as the others. Athena raised Aegis just before it reached her, the impact forcing her several steps back.

"That’s stronger than it looks," she said, surprised.

Eden flew above, golden eyes tracking every movement, and when the boar suddenly shifted direction, she called out, "Left!" Athena moved just as its tusks tore through the space where she’d been standing, planted her foot, turned with the momentum, and released a burst of flame that caught it across the side.

The Beast staggered, giving Athy the opening she needed. Brave Light descended in a flash of golden energy and slammed into its back, driving it into the earth.

Athy rushed upward and shouted, "Arthur!"

He looked up.

"The moth is releasing something!"

The Mistwing Moth beat its enormous wings, and purple particles spread through the clearing.

His eyes narrowed. "Everyone, don’t breathe that in!"

The warning came just in time. The particles didn’t seem particularly dangerous at first, but he could feel something strange within them. They weren’t simply poison. They were strengthening the Beasts. The crocodile’s movements became faster. The panther’s claws became sharper. Even the enormous spider began moving with frightening speed.

He looked toward the hunters. So that was their method. They weren’t simply commanding Beasts. They were using that mist to alter them. "Interesting."

Sun glanced at him while blocking the Azure Maw Toad with his staff. "You’re saying that like this is a good thing."

"I’m just curious."

"Of course you are."

The moth beat its wings again, releasing another cloud of violet particles across the clearing, and Arthur’s expression turned serious. "Everyone, don’t let that mist touch you." They already knew what it could do. They had experienced its corruption before, when Vedas, Athy, Kong, and Melo had all been consumed by the purple mist and turned against their own partners. Luna had used the Mirror to break its influence that time, but the lesson had stuck with all of them since.

The purple mist was dangerous.

As the violet haze spread through the clearing, it began wrapping around the Beasts, their bodies tensing, the glow in their eyes intensifying as the corruption started taking hold.

"Again?" Sun muttered, tightening his grip.

"If they get corrupted completely, we’ll have another problem," Mithra said, watching the panther in front of her.

Arthur glanced toward Luna. "Luna."

She understood immediately and raised the Mirror. Light burst from its surface, not a narrow beam or a single attack, but a brilliant wave rushing outward in every direction, sweeping across the clearing. Wherever it passed, the purple mist was blasted away, leaving the air clear behind it.

The Beasts staggered as the corruption was disrupted.

She lowered the Mirror slightly, keeping it raised and ready. "It worked."

"Good," Arthur said. "Let’s finish this before it comes back."

The group moved together. Kong charged the Vineback Gorilla before it could recover, his fist crashing into its chest and sending it backward.

Vedas drove his spear through the crocodile’s defenses, while Mithra flashed around the panther and struck it repeatedly before it could regain its balance.

Athena and Athy worked together against the boar, Athy keeping above it to draw its attention while Athena attacked from the side. Sun slammed his staff into the toad and sent it rolling across the ancient road, Melo’s dream mist further disrupting whatever remained.

With the purple mist cleared from the battlefield, the Beasts were no longer receiving its influence. They were still powerful, but without the corruption clouding their minds, the group had little trouble overwhelming them. One after another, they were defeated.

Soon, the clearing fell quiet.

The nine hunters stared at their fallen Beasts, seemingly unable to believe how quickly the battle had turned against them.

One of them stepped backward slowly. "You..."

Arthur rested Dusk against his shoulder.

The hunter’s expression hardened as he pointed toward the ancient structure deeper within the forest. "You may have defeated our Beasts, but it changes nothing. The Mirror belongs to our organization."

Arthur blinked and glanced toward the structure before looking back at him. "That’s a weird thing to say about something you haven’t even reached."

The hunter’s face twisted. For a moment, nobody moved. Then the violet markings across the hunters’ robes began to glow.

Arthur’s expression changed. "Something’s wrong."

The purple mist erupted from their bodies, their forms dissolving into the haze as energy gathered around them, and they cried out in pain, their screams echoing through the ancient forest while the mist grew denser and denser, gathering around their bodies until their figures were almost impossible to see.

Arthur didn’t wait to find out what they were doing. "Guardian Shield!"

Golden light erupted around the group, forming a massive dome just as the energy detonated.

BOOM!

The explosion tore through the clearing, trees ripped from the ground, branches and chunks of earth thrown through the air, cracks spreading across the ancient road beneath them. A violent wave of purple energy slammed into the Guardian Shield, making the entire barrier tremble under the force.

Arthur planted his feet and held Dusk firmly, pouring power into the shield. For several seconds the world outside disappeared behind purple light.

Then the explosion began to fade.

[Level Up!]

[Goblin King]

[Level 23 → Level 24]

[Level Up!]

[Time Fairy]

[Level 27 → Level 28]

He slowly lowered his spear. Everyone was still standing. The Guardian Shield had protected them.

But something was wrong.

He looked beyond the barrier. Purple mist had spread throughout the entire clearing, covering the ground, drifting between the trees, filling the air around them.

Even after the explosion had ended, the strange haze continued moving as though it were alive.

Sun stared outside the barrier. "So... we can’t go out there."

"No," Athena said, watching the mist carefully. "Not unless we want to find out what happens when it touches us."

Arthur didn’t answer. His attention had shifted to the Guardian Shield itself. Thin strands of purple energy were beginning to creep across its surface.

His eyes widened. "The barrier..."

The purple mist was slowly tainting it. If it could affect the Guardian Shield, then they couldn’t simply remain inside and wait for it to disappear.

"We need to clear this."

"I can," Luna said, stepping forward.

He looked toward her, and she raised the Mirror again. The moment its surface began to glow, the purple mist around them started trembling.

This time the light that burst from it came harder and wider than before, a violent surge that tore through the entire clearing at once, ripping the haze surrounding the Guardian Shield apart first before continuing outward, scouring the ground, the trees, and the air clean.

The purple mist was gradually driven farther and farther away until only clear air remained. The Guardian Shield stopped trembling. Arthur watched the last traces of violet haze disappear into the forest.

Luna slowly lowered the Mirror. For a moment, nobody spoke.

Arthur looked toward the place where the nine hunters had disappeared. There wasn’t a single body left behind. Only the ruined clearing remained. He stared at the empty space, still trying to understand what they had just witnessed. "What in the..." He couldn’t finish.

Luna was staring at the same place, but her expression had completely changed, her face gone pale, her hands tightening around the Mirror. "That’s..." Her voice trembled. "Just like what happened at my village."

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