I Can See Evolution Paths

For several moments after the purple mist disappeared, nobody moved.

The clearing around them had been devastated by the explosion, broken branches covering the ancient road, several trees torn from the ground, the stone path cracked in multiple places. Yet none of them seemed particularly interested in the destruction. Their attention remained on Luna.

Arthur lowered Dusk and looked at her. "When you said it was just like what happened at your village, what did you mean?"

The others turned toward her as well.

Luna furrowed her brows, trying to recall something she had spent years trying not to remember. "When I was running through the burning village with Grandpa..." she began, her voice quieter than usual, "everyone who had the purple mark would explode in a purple light."

Athena’s eyes widened. "Explode?"

Luna nodded slowly. "They would suddenly start glowing, and then..." She swallowed. "There wouldn’t be anything left."

The group fell silent, and Athena’s expression changed as the pieces began falling into place. "Then that wasn’t a final move by them." Her eyes moved toward the place where the nine hunters had disappeared. "Wait. If this is caused by us either killing them, or worse, just injuring them enough—"

Mithra’s voice trailed off as she glanced toward Melo, her expression slowly changing. "Doesn’t that mean if Luna hadn’t used the Mirror before, our partners would have exploded?"

The words made everyone freeze. For a moment, nobody answered. Their minds immediately returned to that battle. Vedas had been corrupted. Athy had turned against them. Kong had attacked Sun. Melo had fought Mithra. They had been trying to stop their own partners without seriously hurting them, believing that knocking them unconscious would be enough to end the fight. But if Mithra’s speculation was correct, they might have been fighting against a countdown they hadn’t even known existed.

Sun’s grip tightened around his staff. Kong’s expression lost its usual grin. Athena stared at the ground, while Vedas slowly looked toward his spear. Even Melo’s tails became still.

Luna bit her lip. "I’m not sure."

Arthur sighed. "Then we can only rely on you, Luna."

Everyone looked toward him.

"When the purple mist appears, use the Mirror to clear it away before we defeat them."

There was a brief pause, and then several of their lips twitched.

Sun shook his head. "You make that sound easy."

Arthur chuckled and adjusted his grip on Dusk. "It should be with us."

Sun stared at him for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh. "Somehow, I knew you were going to say that."

Kong immediately nodded. "He’s right."

Sun looked at him. "You’re not helping."

Kong grinned again.

That small exchange was enough to ease some of the tension that had settled over the group. They had no idea whether their theory was completely correct, but they now understood something far more important. The purple mist wasn’t simply dangerous because it could corrupt Beasts. There was something else happening to anyone who carried its mark. And the hunters had known how to use it.

Arthur looked once more toward the ruined clearing. He still had no idea who these people were, what Master Ronin wanted with Luna, or how deeply they were connected to the purple mist. But one thing was becoming increasingly clear. Their search for the Mirrors had attracted the attention of people who were willing to kill themselves rather than let the group reach them first.

Before anyone could continue the discussion, a familiar System notification appeared in Arthur’s mind.

[Cronwell Tribe has reached Level 20.]

Arthur’s eyes widened slightly. Another notification followed.

[Settlement Expansion available.] [Cronwell Tribe has expanded its settlement.] [Current Settlement Size: Town.]

A smile slowly appeared on Arthur’s face, and the others noticed immediately.

Sun raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Good news." Arthur looked around at everyone. "The Cronwell Tribe reached Level 20. They’ve expanded the village into a town-sized settlement."

Vedas’s expression brightened. "Already?"

Arthur nodded. "Looks like they’re doing pretty well."

Athena smiled as well. "That’s excellent. A larger settlement should also make it easier for the tribe to support more Goblins."

Sun laughed. "So while we’ve been running through ancient ruins and fighting weird people, our Goblins have been building a town."

Arthur chuckled. "Seems like it."

Kong raised a fist. "Good for them!"

Even Mithra smiled. "At least someone is having a peaceful time."

Arthur glanced toward the ruined forest around them. "Peaceful might be stretching it."

Mithra laughed.

Luna, however, simply blinked, looking between them, clearly confused. "What... is the Cronwell Tribe?"

Eden immediately flew closer to her. "Oh! Goblins!"

Luna’s eyes widened. "Goblins?"

Eden nodded enthusiastically. "Its a tribe that Vedas leads has a whole tribe of them. They’ve been building a village."

Luna stared at Vedas. "You have a Goblin tribe?"

Vedas scratched his cheek. "Yeah... There in another secret realm though."

"And now it’s a town?"

"Apparently."

Luna’s eyes began to shine. "A Goblin town..." She looked genuinely fascinated.

Arthur couldn’t help smiling at her reaction. "Maybe you’ll get to see it someday."

Luna’s expression brightened even more. "I’d like that."

After the brief celebration, the group continued down the ancient road, the ruins gradually becoming larger as they moved deeper into the forest, the enormous trees remaining strangely quiet around them, their dark branches stretching overhead and blocking much of the sky.

Arthur kept the Water Mirror close. He didn’t know exactly what they would find at the end of the road, but the compass continued pointing them forward.

Eventually, the trees began to thin. And then they saw it.

The enormous Broken Mirror. It stood far beyond the forest, towering above the ancient ruins like a fragment of another world, its surface cracked and incomplete, with enormous pieces missing from its frame.

But there were people standing before it. The robed hunters had beaten them there.

Arthur immediately stopped. "So they found it."

The hunters stood around the Broken Mirror, examining its surface. One of them stepped forward and placed his hand against the ancient structure. Nothing happened. He tried again. Still nothing. Another hunter approached and pressed his palm against a different section of the Mirror, but the ancient structure remained completely silent.

"No response."

"Try again."

Several hunters attempted to activate it. Nothing. The Mirror remained dead.

Arthur watched them from the edge of the forest. "They don’t know how to activate it."

Athena looked at him. "Then what are they doing here?"

Arthur smiled. "I guess we’re about to find out."

The group stepped out from the trees, and the hunters immediately turned, their weapons coming up. Arthur ignored them. His attention was fixed entirely on the Broken Mirror.

He slowly walked toward it, the Water Mirror in his hand beginning to tremble. Arthur stopped. The Water Mirror suddenly emitted a faint glow.

Everyone noticed.

Athena’s eyes widened. "Arthur..."

The Broken Mirror responded, light spreading across its enormous cracked frame, illuminating ancient symbols that had remained dormant for who knew how many centuries, and the entire structure began humming.

Everyone froze. Even the hunters stared at Arthur in shock.

The Water Mirror shone brighter, and the Broken Mirror’s cracks filled with light, and for the first time the ancient structure seemed to recognize something it had been waiting for.

One of the hunters slowly whispered, "The key..."

Arthur looked at him, his expression becoming curious. "So you knew."

The hunter’s eyes widened. He immediately realized his mistake. The others looked toward him, but it was already too late.

Arthur’s gaze moved across the group. "So you weren’t just searching for the Mirror." Nobody answered. Arthur smiled faintly. "You knew someone needed something to activate it."

The hunters tightened their grips on their weapons, and then the violet markings on their bodies began to glow.

Arthur’s smile disappeared. He let out a quiet sigh. "Of course."

Dusk appeared in his hand. "Another battle."

The hunters spread out around the Broken Mirror, mana surging through the clearing, and one by one their Mana Realms opened.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed as the Beasts emerged. A massive Ironjaw Bear stepped forward, its dark fur reinforced by thick metallic plates along its shoulders and chest.

Beside it emerged a Blackfang Wolf, its body lean and muscular, violet energy already gathering around its claws. A massive Thornshell Turtle followed, its enormous shell covered in jagged growths.

Then came a Stormwing Eagle, whose wings stirred the air as it spread them across the sky. A Bloodvine Panther emerged next, dark vines growing from its back and curling around its limbs. A long-bodied Mirecoil Serpent slithered onto the ancient road.

A hulking Stonehide Rhino emerged with a heavy stomp that cracked the ground beneath its feet. A Moonfang Lynx appeared almost silently, its silver eyes fixed on the group. And finally, a gigantic Gravebloom Mantis unfolded its bladed arms.

Nine hunters.

Nine Beasts.

The violet markings across their bodies began glowing brighter as the purple mist slowly gathered around them.

Arthur tightened his grip on Dusk.

The hunters charged. And the Beasts rushed forward with them.

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