After a long lull from the NPCs, Eric grew drowsy and nearly drifted to sleep, until faint footsteps stirred her awake.
Startled, she jolted up and turned toward the NPCs' last known location.
They had only been ten meters apart, and while earlier she could make out the vague outlines of the other group in the dark, now, no trace remained. Rubbing her eyes for clarity, she confirmed the unsettling truth.
The NPCs had fled in the dead of night.
Eric leapt to her feet and shouted, "They've escaped! Wake up—quick!" Without hesitation, she dashed forward. She had clearly heard footsteps just moments before—likely the stragglers of the NPC group. They couldn't have gone far; she needed to catch up before the trail vanished.
Her call roused several players. Some, quick to respond, followed close behind. Others, slower and hindered by the darkness, hesitated after a few dozen paces, unsure which way to go, and fell behind.
Eric moved with impressive speed, veering slightly right where she thought the footsteps had originated. If her body's mutation still granted night vision, she might've tracked their footprints in the sand. But lacking that, she had only instinct to rely on. The NPCs hadn't dared to light a fire; she too refrained from using her flashlight.
In this desolate land, light at night was an invitation to death.
Fortunately, she had remained alert and caught their final movements just in time. After searching swiftly in two directions, she finally spotted a procession of shadows in the distance.
Found them.
Relieved, Eric slowed her pace, maintaining a safe but steady distance.
At the front of the NPC group was an elderly woman in her seventies—the one with the dog. Despite her age, the others treated her with marked respect. She was the most experienced among them, once a hunter who had roamed these perilous lands with a renowned expedition team. An injury had ended her career, and she had faded into the city's faceless crowd. But when the city fell and its citizens fled, she revived her old skills, leading her neighbors across this wasteland in search of sanctuary—the next city, the fabled White City.
"Grandma, why are we sneaking away?" a teenage boy supported her as they walked.
Covering her mouth with a hand, she coughed lightly. "They don't seem like ordinary people. My old captain taught us: in the wasteland, anything you can't understand, avoid. That's how you stay alive."
Though those strangers were dressed in rags like them, their demeanor and aura told a different story—too composed, too deliberate. And they'd been following too closely.
When you can't read someone's intent, stay away.
Eric, unaware of the NPCs' conversation, simply noted that after a long stretch of marching, the group finally stopped to rest. That confirmed her suspicion—they had indeed left to shake the players off.
Seizing the quiet, Eric sat down and ate. Her stomach had been growling for some time. Eventually, seven more players caught up.
"We met on the way. Most people got separated. Those NPCs really blindsided us with that midnight escape," Edward panted, coughing into his sleeve to stifle the sound, afraid of alerting the NPCs and provoking another flight.
Those left behind were likely lost for good unless fortune smiled and they stumbled upon another NPC caravan. Otherwise, they'd vanish into the wastes. Eric sighed but said nothing.
A few hours later, dawn broke, and the NPCs resumed their march.
Then, from the left ahead, a dust cloud surged—something large and fast was coming. Unlike the day before, the NPCs didn't dig in or lie flat; they turned and ran. Without a second thought, Eric followed.
"Run! What are you staring at?!" Edward shouted, breaking into a sprint.
Across the ruined expanse, dozens of humans fled for their lives.
Though quick to react, the NPCs were weakened from hunger and fatigue. Eric quickly caught up and even pulled ahead.
"She's... so fast!"
The old woman, who had called for the retreat, ran as best she could, but her age and exhaustion were insurmountable. She shoved her grandson away. "Run! You know everything I taught you—survive!"
"I don't want to!" the boy sobbed.
"Go!"
From the left came a stampede of monstrous beasts—grotesque and powerful. Their charging limbs kicked up clouds of dust, and the ground trembled under their weight. Eric, now at the head of the fleeing group, heard screams behind her. Glancing back, she saw several people flung into the air like rag dolls, crashing down far away.
Her eyes widened in horror. The raw force of those beasts—one strike, and it was over. No wonder the NPCs had run. Against such overwhelming power, escape was the only option.
Once she cleared their path, Eric stopped and looked back.
A thick cloud of dust hung in the air. Through it, she glimpsed the retreating horde of beasts. As the dust settled, survivors emerged—haggard and shell-shocked.
The beasts didn't give chase?
Reflecting on their straight, unwavering trajectory, she realized—they hadn't been hunting. The group had simply been unlucky, caught in the creatures' path.
Eric returned to the others. About a dozen NPCs sat sprawled on the ground, along with the surviving players—everyone filthy and worn.
Seeing her, no one had the strength to chase her off. The young boy's wails broke the silence. "Grandma! Grandma...!"
"Don't cry. Rest for now and keep moving. She said we're close—once we reach White City, we'll be safe…"
Eric said nothing, just moved toward the other players.
They were down to five, not counting Eric.
"I overheard them say they're heading for White City. That must be where the checkpoint is. With their numbers decimated, we need to stay close," Eric said.
"This dungeon's insane—exhausting and we only got 4 points," Edward muttered, clutching his stomach as it rumbled loudly.
The others nodded, equally hungry.
"They're on the move again. Let's go." Eric relayed the message and departed.
The surviving NPCs, barely rested, pressed on.
"Stop following us!" the boy shouted at Eric. He remembered his grandmother's warning. But Eric remained silent, neither speeding up nor falling back, trailing them like a shadow. Perhaps the NPCs, drained by loss, no longer had the strength to repel them. Or perhaps, seeing that the players had made no aggressive moves, they resigned themselves to the company.
Their journey remained fraught with peril. Another wave of massive birds—like those from the previous day—swept over. This time, everyone dug in quickly enough. No one was taken. Even so, more dangers followed, and several more were lost.
After crossing the barren wasteland, signs of vegetation emerged—but it brought no relief.
Before them loomed a forest of titanic trees, their trunks soaring into the sky. Eric stood speechless in awe.
If the wasteland was the realm of death, then this was life in terrifying abundance. What kind of place birthed trees that rivaled mountains?
Before them, humanity was as insignificant as ants.
"Once we pass through the forest, we'll reach White City. Grandma said so," the boy affirmed.
"…This is terrifying. Can we really make it through alive?"
Clutching the pendant his grandmother gave him—a compass to navigate the wasteland—he nodded firmly. "It's the hibernation season. The forest is safest now. We've come too far. There's no turning back. White City is our only hope."
Another player murmured sorrowfully, "Then let's go. At least… we might find food and water here."
Yet even teeming with life, the colossal forest was more perilous than the lifeless desert. Eric felt it the moment she crossed its threshold.
A surge of primal dread washed over her, making every hair stand on end. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on her weapons, bracing for anything.
Edward took a deep breath. "The air's more humid… but something feels very wrong."
They all felt it. Soon enough, the forest revealed its horrors.
"What… what is that?" a player's voice trembled as he pointed.
Eric looked—and her breath caught in her throat.
Ahead crawled a grotesque insect, its body covered in countless compound eyes. Thicker than a barrel, nearly ten meters long, it wriggled on a myriad of legs. Just watching it move sent shivers down their spines.
It descended from the trees, mandibles crunching into a slab of meat. On its head, antennae quivered—and in the next moment, its many eyes shifted toward the players.
Eric's heart froze.
"Run—now!" she hissed, bolting.
The monstrous insect turned, rushing toward them with surprising speed.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Though bloated in size, it moved with terrifying swiftness. Eric could hear its innumerable legs rasping against the forest floor.
*Thwip!*
It spat a massive net, flinging it toward the group.
Players and NPCs scattered. The slowest among them was ensnared, no amount of struggle breaking the web.
"Help! Help me—!" The cries were cut off far too quickly.
Eric stayed close to the small boy, recognizing him as the NPCs' new leader.
He ran with purpose, adjusting direction as he went. Eric followed without hesitation.
The insect was only the beginning. The deeper they went, the more vividly the Forest of Colossal Trees revealed its dreadful wonders.