Lurie opened her eyes. An indescribable shock spread through her whole body. Was all of this real? If it was... then it was truly astonishing. So this was how life was born.

She closed the book in her mind, chanted a spell, and tore a slit into the space before her. She tried stuffing pebbles and other things inside, then sealed the space shut. But when she opened it again, nothing remained inside. It seemed that if Lurie wanted to use this space as storage, she still had a long way to go.

Dawn was just breaking, and the group still hadn't left the plains. The line stretched on and on, moving painfully slowly. Everyone in the convoy was exhausted, but if they stopped here, then once the second sun rose, it'd all be too late.

After marching through the night, the ordinary people in the group were already at their limit. Different voices began to rise from the crowd, saying things like, "We need to rest," and "Don't treat people like we're not human."

"All of you, shut your mouths. If you want to live, keep walking. If you want to die, stay here!"

The woman carrying the greatsword floated in the air and roared. Vast Mana wrapped in crushing pressure slammed down on everyone present. Those people knew what mattered more. Their lives came first, so they obediently shut up.

It seemed that no matter when or where, strength was always the most important thing.

The group marched several more kilometers. Then the first sun rose. The Elderly Elf had already set up a Formation on the ground. According to Lurie's prophecy, the planned shelter not far ahead would most likely be attacked by Monsters. The Elderly Elf could only do everything possible to reduce the disaster.

Sure enough, the surroundings began to change again. Pitch-black vines burst out from beneath the earth, exactly like the Monster they had killed outside the fortress before.

That Monster wasn't weak. It was at the level of Chapter Three, and it could release poison. But for a team with three Chapter Three fighters, it wasn't that big a deal.

Because the Elderly Elf had prepared the Formation in advance, the Monster couldn't break in anytime soon. The Dual Blade Sorceress was already in position, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

But right then, the Monster's form suddenly changed. Countless vines twisted together, growing huge and terrifying.

The original plan seemed to shatter in an instant. They had thought the Elderly Elf's carefully arranged Formation could hold back the savage Monster for a while and create a winning chance for the Dual Blade Sorceress. Yet the Monster's sudden transformation threw the whole battle into a far more unpredictable state.

As the Monster changed shape, the vines that had been spread apart rapidly wove together. They lashed through the air with piercing shrieks, as if declaring their power to every challenger.

Under the assault of the Monster's new form, the Elderly Elf's Formation began to waver. Its light flickered unstably, as if it could collapse at any moment. And the Dual Blade Sorceress, who had been ready to strike the killing blow, had no choice but to reassess the situation.

The woman with the greatsword didn't hesitate for even a moment. Her body moved like the wind as she charged straight at the Monster. She drew the sword from her back, and the massive blade seemed to carry all her strength and courage.

She swung with all her might. The heavy edge tore through the air and smashed viciously into the Monster's head. The collision of sword and Monster erupted with a deafening boom, as if even the surrounding air was trembling.

But the Monster seemed unafraid of the blow. Its vines tightened together even more, forming a solid protective layer. The greatsword woman's attack was fierce, but it only made the Monster sway slightly. It caused no real damage.

Then the vines spread out and plunged into the main group. Lurie dodged them and rose into the air. She stared at the ground below. It was exactly the scene she had seen in the book. The vines began strangling the civilians in the convoy, not a single detail different from what had been recorded there.

The prophecy had come true.

Even though the Elderly Elf and the other Chapter Three fighters moved to stop it, the prophecy still came true. Like fate itself, it was bound to happen.

With a casual motion, the Elderly Elf formed another Formation. Mysterious bands of light interwove in the air, creating a sturdy defensive barrier and an attacking Formation. At the same time, the Dual Blade Sorceress and the greatsword woman seized their chance and charged the enormous Monster without hesitation.

The greatsword woman swung her massive Blade. It cut through the air with a fierce howl as it slashed toward the Monster's vital points. Every swing gathered the strength of her whole body, smashing every vine the Monster created into pieces.

Meanwhile, the Dual Blade Sorceress moved around the Monster like a phantom. Her twin blades flashed with cold light. Every strike was precise and deadly. Her movements were swift and graceful, as if she were dancing a dance of death with the Monster.

In the end, the greatsword woman smashed open the Monster's body, exposing the core hidden inside. Silver light shone from the sword in the Dual Blade Sorceress's hand as she cut the core cleanly in two.

When they saw the Monster finally go still, the Chapter Three fighters present all let out a breath of relief. Lurie also returned to the ground.

Because of the Monster's appearance, the convoy had suffered heavy losses. People who hadn't died to the wolves had now fallen to this suddenly appearing Monster.

There was no time to mourn the dead. They had to keep moving before the second sun rose.

Lurie turned back to look at the convoy. Sunlight filtered through the clouds and fell across the earth in mottled patches, but it couldn't dispel the heavy atmosphere hanging over the group. The deaths of so many had left the entire convoy lifeless, as if covered by a layer of gloom. Every face was filled with exhaustion and grief, and every step had grown heavy and slow.

"The rest point is just ahead."

Lurie saw the snow mountain in the distance. That was their rest point. Next, they would discuss how to continue the journey.

Flames scorched the ground clean. The Dual Blade Sorceress and the greatsword woman cleared out every possible hidden danger nearby, then spread a canopy with Mana to block the scorching sunlight. Covering tens of thousands of people with a spell like that consumed an enormous amount of Mana.

In the deathly silent convoy, the survivors each sought out people they knew, trying to find a trace of comfort in each other's company. Yet even sitting before familiar faces, they still couldn't drive away the sorrow and heaviness circling above the group.

That battle with the Monster still felt vivid before their eyes. The creature had only struck lightly twice, yet it had crushed hundreds of people to death. A loss of life on that scale was impossible for anyone to accept.

Faced with such a situation, everyone in the convoy was filled with confusion and unease.

Keep moving? Or turn back?

That question echoed again and again in every heart. They knew the road ahead was full of the unknown and danger. The Monster's power was enough to make them tremble. Just two blows had caused hundreds of deaths. A loss that great made them start to wonder whether they should continue down this seemingly hopeless road to survival.

But they also understood that turning back wasn't the answer. The end was coming... and even if they returned now, there was no guarantee they could safely make it back to where they had come from. The dangers on the road still existed. Without the protection of the strong, things would only be even worse.

"There are two choices next. One is to cross the snow mountain. The other is to go around it. Based on our scouting, going around is safer, but slower... Those in favor of crossing the snow mountain, raise your hands."

There was no need to think. The Elderly Elf already knew no one wanted to cross the snow mountain. They had seen it for themselves. The storms on the mountain appeared together with the rising of the second sun.

For ordinary people like them, crossing the snow mountain wasn't much different from seeking death.

Lurie silently joined the group handing out food. She carefully cooked white porridge and passed out bowl after bowl of steaming hot porridge to the people lining up. Even though her heart was heavy, her eyes still held gentleness, as if trying to offer everyone in the convoy a little warmth.

As the third sun set, the sky gradually darkened. Lurie worked alongside the others, making sure everyone was fully prepared to face the coming night. The howling wind of night came from afar, carrying the icy breath of the snow mountain and making the temperature drop even further.

"Let's move."

The only thing they needed to watch out for while going around the snow mountain was avoiding the bear-type Monsters living in the forest. Like the wolf pack they had seen before, these Monsters had become abnormally ferocious.

The Elderly Elf and the other two Chapter Three fighters advanced while pulling tumor-like growths out of the ground. According to Lurie's words, the main enemy they would face next was these tumors. The fewer there were, the better. They had to do everything they could to keep the people behind them alive.

It took three days to pass through the forest. During those three days, they followed the original plan, traveling at night and resting during the day. Their luck seemed pretty good. They weren't attacked by wild beasts or Monsters. The tumors did come in several waves, though, and kept everyone from getting proper rest during the day.

Over those three days, the oppressive mood in the convoy eased quite a bit. As they moved, casual chatter even started to spread through the line. Things like, "Why is the wind on this snow mountain so strong at night?" and "Good thing we didn't climb it. Look at those icicles," drifted through the group.

"So after this, it'll be that forest, right?"

But the Elderly Elf and the other two wore grim expressions. They hadn't suffered many losses these past few days, but according to Lurie's prophecy, they would lose at least half their people here. Even the three of them, strong as they were, would die.

After crossing past the snow mountain, the group arrived halfway up the highland slope. The Elderly Elf looked up, only to find that below them was already a sea of fire. Black flames and CrimsonGoldFlame burned against each other. Down below were not only countless scurrying tumor-like things, but also mountains of their corpses piled high.

There was no need to think. The Elderly Elf and the others immediately realized this was Night Frost's handiwork. A great battle must have taken place here. But because of that, Night Frost's flames had created an absolute safe zone. As long as they reached it, they would be safe for the time being.

If nothing unexpected had happened, the spatial rift was in the barren center.

But now a problem stood before them.

How were they supposed to get through the Black Flame?

The burning Black Flame formed a wall of fire. If they forced their way through, they would definitely catch fire. And anyone who had fought Night Frost knew the nature of Night Frost's flames. Extinguishing them required special means. In a place like this, the fire was basically unsolvable.

"So we can only grit our teeth and force our way through...?"