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With the relentless onslaught of monsters, the mercenaries gradually grew more and more exhausted.

Even I was tempted to quit on the spot, return home, and rest.

‘As expected of the Forest of Beasts. But I can’t give up.’

The reason everyone avoids this place is simple.

No one knows what’s in here, and there’s no need to risk their lives for it.

If I didn’t have a clear purpose, I wouldn’t have ventured into such a dangerous forest either.

However, I knew exactly what lay hidden in the Forest of Beasts, so I was determined to face the dangers.

What surprised me was that the mercenaries were calmer than I had expected.

Though they looked like they might collapse from exhaustion at any moment, their eyes still shone with determination.

‘I must have underestimated them.’

The journey had been grueling, so under normal circumstances, I would have begun discussing additional compensation by now to keep their spirits up.

But after seeing their eyes, I realized that wasn’t necessary.

These men were sincerely fulfilling their duty.

Only Manus, among them, wore a deathly expression, anxiously pacing around.

Every day felt like pure agony, yet everyone gritted their teeth and endured.

Surprisingly, as the battles continued, our casualties gradually decreased.

Though it had been just over ten days, the extreme daily battles had pushed most of them to surpass their limits at some point.

After fifteen days passed, I delivered some hopeful news to the group.

“We’re almost at our destination. We don’t have much further to go.”

Upon hearing that, the mercenaries regained their strength and pressed on.

But as we moved forward, something started to feel strange.

“What is it?”

“By now, we should’ve been attacked again.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird how quiet it is?”

The monsters that had once assaulted us without respite were becoming fewer and fewer.

While the constant attacks had been exhausting and painful, their sudden absence now stirred a sense of unease.

I, too, felt that something was off, just like the mercenaries.

It was too intense for us to chalk it up to mere luck.

For the monsters to suddenly disappear like this was more than suspicious.

‘It’s too quiet.’

The forest had always been eerily silent, with even the sound of insects hard to come by.

But now, aside from our party’s noises, it was as if even the wind had stopped blowing. The air felt suffocatingly heavy.

I sent Gillian and Kaor to scout the surrounding area, but they returned with nothing.

‘Is it luck? Or is there another reason? There’s no record of any particularly dangerous threats in this area…’

After pondering for a while, I decided to take advantage of the situation.

“Everyone, stop what you’re doing and rest. Regain your strength; tomorrow, we’ll clear the path to our destination and finish the job.”

With bright smiles, the mercenaries immediately collapsed on the spot to rest.

Since entering the forest, they hadn’t had a proper break, and now the exhaustion hit them like a storm.

Surprisingly, not a single monster appeared by the next day.

“Ugh, my back. I feel more sore after waking up.”

“Still, I feel like I can finally breathe.”

“They say we’ll reach the destination today!”

With their strength restored and the end finally in sight, the work progressed much faster than usual.

Though everyone felt a bit uneasy due to the unfamiliar situation, nothing out of the ordinary happened even as they noisily cleared the path.

Not long after, Ghislain repeatedly compared the map he had drawn to their current location. His expression brightened as he turned to address everyone.

“There’s really not much left now. Just a bit further, and we’ll reach our destination.”

Upon hearing this, the mercenaries focused entirely on clearing the way without stopping to rest.

Gradually, a sense of relief began to appear on their faces.

They had crossed a complicated path, one fraught with unimaginable hardships.

Now that those struggles seemed to be nearing an end, it was only natural for them to feel relieved.

But no one was happier or more excited than Ghislain.

‘We’re almost there.’

Everyone had called him mad and tried to oppose the plan, but he had pushed through with confidence and conviction.

Now, that conviction would soon bear fruit, and the anticipation of it filled him with excitement.

It was then—

Rumble.

A tremor echoed from the distance as if the entire forest were shaking.

Instantly, everyone froze. The mercenaries, tense, cautiously looked around.

The excellent mood evaporated instantly, replaced by a growing sense of unease.

“Gillian, scout ahead. Everyone, prepare for battle.”

Gillian nodded and swiftly went to scout.

The mercenaries stopped their work and grabbed their weapons.

After days of fighting in this forest, they had grown accustomed to battle.

What mattered was the identity of the enemy, not the fight itself.

While everyone stood on edge, waiting, Gillian returned at full speed, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Evacuate immediately!”

“What?”

At the exact moment Ghislain questioned him, trees in the distance began to topple over.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Something was smashing through the trees, rapidly approaching.

As it tore through the forest, the creature let out a high-pitched screech when it spotted the group.

Kaaaaaaah!

Seeing the monster appear before him, Ghislain’s face hardened.

That monster should have been deep within the forest.

There was no reason for it to be wandering around the outskirts.

The mercenaries, too, froze in shock as they took in the sight of the beast.

“What… what the hell? Is that even possible?”

“There weren’t any monsters missing… everyone was avoiding this thing.”

In a state of utter disbelief, everyone stared at the monster in front of them.

It was a snake.

A massive snake, large enough to swallow a person whole in a single bite.

Its enormous red scales shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

Its gaping mouth was filled with rows of terrifying teeth, sharp enough to easily shred through steel.

“The Blood Python…”

One of the mercenaries muttered the name.

The massive snake monster called a Python (퓌톤) is named according to the color of its scales.

The Blood Python, with its body covered in blood-red scales, is known to be the most ferocious and terrifying of all Pythons.

Its fangs emit a deadly venom, and its scales are as tough as steel, making it nearly impervious to weapons.

“It’s much bigger than a regular Python.”

The mercenaries recoiled in horror at its overwhelming size.

Pythons are generally classified as dangerous monsters due to their large size.

However, the Blood Python that had appeared was even more prominent than a typical one.

Even Ghislain hadn’t anticipated this.

The information he’d obtained in his past life stated that Blood Pythons resided much deeper within the forest.

‘Why here, and why now… This is bad timing.’

Their destination wasn’t far from the forest’s edge.

It had only taken this long because they needed to clear the path and deal with the monsters claiming the area as their territory.

From the very beginning, when Ghislain planned this expedition, he confirmed multiple times that the monsters deemed too dangerous to hunt lived deep within the forest.

Yet, a monster of a much higher grade than expected had appeared.

Hisssss.

The Blood Python flicked its tongue, surveying the group with arrogant eyes.

It moved leisurely as if savoring the sight of a meal right in front of it.

The mercenaries, paralyzed by the monster’s presence, could not move.

They looked like frogs frozen before a snake, and Ghislain shouted loudly at them.

“Get it together! If you just stand there, you’ll die!”

At his command, the mercenaries returned to their senses and quickly formed a battle formation.

They couldn’t just stand there waiting to die; they had to try something.

“Fire!”

At Ghislain’s shout, the mercenaries with shields moved forward while those with bows began firing arrows.

Thwang! Thwack! Twang!

Arrows flew rapidly, but none of them could pierce the Blood Python’s red scales.

The snake casually deflected the arrows as it wriggled its massive body and advanced toward them.

“Move back!”

As the mercenaries slowly retreated in formation, the Blood Python suddenly moved with surprising speed for a creature of its size.

Kaaaaah!

In an instant, it slithered forward and, with its gaping jaws, swallowed a mercenary standing at the front.

“Aaaagh!”

The mercenary had no time to resist and was devoured whole.

Gulp, gulp.

The creature’s body rippled as something slid down its length, coming to a stop around the middle of its massive form.

No one had ever witnessed such a terrifying sight—someone being eaten alive by a monster—and the shock left them speechless.

Hisssss.

The Blood Python narrowed its eyes in satisfaction as it glanced around as if selecting its next prey.

Despair filled the eyes of the mercenaries watching the scene unfold.

Until now, excluding Pallor, their attacks had worked no matter how strong or fast the monsters were.

If they fought head-on, with the right strategy and tactics, they could inflict wounds and eventually win.

Even Pallor, who seemed invincible in the darkness, could be attacked as long as there was light.

But the Blood Python’s scales were so strong that they easily deflected every arrow.

How could they possibly defeat a monster that their attacks couldn’t even touch?

“Fall back! Retreat further!”

The group hastily retreated, trying to distance themselves from the monster.

Hissss…

The Blood Python didn’t immediately chase after them, even as the distance grew.

It seemed to be waiting, gauging whether its prey would flee or attack.

Having just devoured one of the mercenaries, it looked somewhat satisfied for the moment, showing no signs of launching an immediate attack. Yet, how it kept its gaze fixed on the group made it clear it wasn’t planning to let the rest escape unscathed.

“Young Lord! What do we do now?”

“There’s a way to deal with that thing, right?”

Without anyone telling them to, the mercenaries all turned to Ghislain.

However—

Ghislain remained silent, his face stiff as he stared at the Blood Python.

‘Why isn’t he saying anything?’

‘Does our employer have no solution either…?’

He had always been the first to give orders and the first to charge into battle whenever a monster appeared. But now, their employer stood frozen, saying nothing.

Despair began to grip the hearts of everyone.

The mercenaries started to sense that an unavoidable death was closing in.

Belinda approached Ghislain and whispered quietly.

“Young Master, you need to run. We cannot beat that monster with our current strength.”

“If I run now, what happens to the mercenaries?”

“A few dozen or even a few hundred dead mercenaries mean nothing to me. What matters to me is keeping you alive.”

Gillian, standing in front of Ghislain, also spoke quietly.

“Young Lord, please leave with Belinda. The mercenaries and I will hold it off here. The contract includes ensuring the employer’s safety, so you don’t need to concern yourself with them.”

“Gillian…”

“Please take care of my daughter.”

Though his voice was low, Kaor, standing nearby, overheard their conversation. After a moment of thought, arms crossed, he spoke to Ghislain.

“It’s time to run. If you give the order to retreat, the others will find their way out. Sure, some will die, but that can’t be helped. It’s the fate of mercenaries who take money to risk their lives, after all.”

With even Kaor weighing in, Ghislain lowered his eyes and fell into deep thought.

If they fled now, the snake would catch and kill most of the group.

A few might survive, but straying off the path would only leave them lost in the forest, eventually leading to death.

‘Success was right in front of us. Is it all going to end in failure?’

Ghislain closed his eyes tightly.