Their footsteps were silent through the woods as they sprinted forward, led by Cesar, who set a quick pace. The transformation the six of them had undergone in just two weeks was astonishing—they had surpassed the limitations of a regular human being, enhanced by their awakened Will.

Cesar's movements were a blur. He was followed closely by Al, who seemed unaffected by the speed. Al calmly seized the opportunity to share his opinions with Cesar.

"Based on the Red Book, it's likely that anything above the Mental Domain possesses its own set of unique spells," Al explained.

"I think Yusuf and I should take the lead. My Stubborn Will and his Steel Will are a great frontline. You and Jin should position yourselves right behind us, ready to swiftly assist with your mid-range attacks. Louise should be in the back, looking for an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow. Ellie can manipulate the battlefield."

Al's words carried a thoughtful analysis and a well-considered strategy to maximize the team's strengths. Although Cesar had his initial plan, he couldn't deny the logic behind Al's proposal. However, he had one condition: he insisted that Louise take Al's place on the frontline.

Al was hesitant about the arrangement, but he recognized the vast difference in power between his Stubborn Will and Louise's Tense Will. Unwilling to undermine Cesar's authority before the others, Al kept his objections to himself.

As they sprinted through the dense forest, Cesar gradually stopped, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. He noticed a tree with a distinct mark on it and walked over to it.

"We should be close by. I left this marking before me, and Jin left," he softly announced. Turning to his teammates, he continued, "Yusuf, Louise, come to the front. Jin, you'll be next to me. Al, keep watch over our rear."

Before Cesar could mention Ellie, she vanished into thin air. She casually whispered, "Yeah, I know. I'll stay hidden and manipulate the battlefield."

Cesar moved in the center of the formation towards a wide hole in the ground. "We're going to enter the hole in this formation," Cesar reminded his team, his words carrying a weight of caution.

Everyone silently nodded in agreement, their movements careful and calculated. Slowly, they advanced together, Yusuf and Louise leading the way.

Soon, they reached their destination—a hole approximately three meters in diameter. As Yusuf and Louise approached it, they peered down, observing the sunlight lighting the ground under the hole, indicating a manageable drop.

They silently turned for Cesar's approval, and after receiving his nod, Louise lightly tapped the drum she carried, producing a subtle sound, before swiftly leaping into the hole.

Yusuf closed his eyes, gripping his etheric shell, a brown belt over his gray robe. Yusuf followed suit, both landing with grace and ease. The hole served as the entrance to a massive tunnel, branching off in two directions.

Now, it was Jin and Cesar's turn. Jin clutched his etheric shell, an ancestral stone medallion. Cesar wielded his own etheric shell, a magnificently adorned spear, and positioned himself by the tunnel. Without hesitation, they synchronized their actions, leaping into the air.

As they were mid-flight, a shadow lunged towards Al.

The enemy had waited until the group descended into the tunnel, isolating the last member on the surface.

Reacting swiftly, Cesar thrust his spear into the side of the hole, stopping his descent.

Jin had no choice but to land inside the hole alongside Louise and Yusuf.

Harnessing the momentum of his swing, Cesar leaped up, the wind seeming to guide his movement. Gracefully landing on the surface, he uttered a couple of words.

The wind carried his voice: "Ellie, join the others."

After a momentary pause, a young woman materialized out of thin air, accompanied by a floating mirror that distorted light. Without hesitation, Ellie plunged into the hole and disappeared.

Cesar raced towards the location where the shadowy figure had taken Al.

The entire incident unfolded within mere seconds. However, before the attack occurred, Al had experienced something he had chosen not to share with the rest of the team.

His ring, his etheric shell, spoke to him in a voice only he could hear. "Careful, on your left," the ring warned.

Not wanting to sound paranoid or scared, Al dismissed the voice. Still, he remained on high alert, his senses sharpened, and his guard was up.

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His gaze remained fixed on Cesar and Jin as they leaped into the hole.

Without warning, razor-sharp teeth came lunging towards him. Alreacted just in time to halt the creature's bite by using his small, twisted knife.

Still, the attack propelled him backward, sending him hurtling several meters before he regained control. The creature was clamping its jaw firmly on Al's blade. Its face was as hairy as the rest of its body, reminiscent of a werewolf.

While Al had successfully stopped the creature's bite, its claws remained free. It unleashed a furious swipe, its right claw tearing through Al's arm, leaving it in tatters.

Clamping its mighty jaws, the creature refused to let go of Al's knife and swung him forcefully, hurtling him toward the approaching Cesar. The collision between Al and Cesar momentarily stunned them both.

Taking advantage of the opportunity it had created, the creature lunged at both Cesar and Al. However, after recovering, Cesar's agility proved superior. He gently pushed Al out of the way.

Standing alone, Cesar unleashed a forceful strike with his spear, striking the creature's side with tremendous power. The impact sent the creature flying backward, crashing into a nearby tree.

Blood trickled from the creature's wound, a severe injury. It had not anticipated Cesar to be so fast and powerful.

Al was beginning to rise. In response, the hybrid creature swiftly bolted, seeking an escape.

"Oh no, you don't! Where the hell do you think you're going?" Cesar shouted.

Instantly, he launched his spear, a gust of wind trailing in its wake as it sliced through the air. The weapon instantly found its target and broke through the hybrid's lower abdomen, impaling it to the ground and halting its desperate escape.

Turning his attention to Al, Cesar's concern was evident. "Your arm, it's covered in blood. Are you alright?"

Al wiped his arm, revealing that beneath the bloodstains, he had already recovered from the injury. "See? I'm telling you, my Stubborn Will makes me the ideal frontline," Al declared, his voice confident.

However, he withheld that using his Stubborn Will strained his A.R.C., and death would be absolute if his A.R.C. failed to produce enough Stubborn Will to recover from a mortal wound.

Cesar regarded Al with a hint of skepticism; nonetheless, their bond of trust remained unshaken.

Before Cesar could respond, Al pushed Cesar aside, narrowly avoiding the spinning spear flying toward him.

The force of the throw embedded the spear two feet deep into the ground. No longer resembling a werewolf, it now stood a towering eight feet tall, its muscles bulging with raw strength. It had the body of a giant gorilla and a panther's claws and hind legs.

Cesar calmly moved to retrieve his spear, his composure unshaken. "This hybrid appears stronger than the slug hybrid we first encountered a few months ago. We need to catch up with the rest as soon as possible," Cesar clarified.

Al stood by his side, prepared to engage the gorilla hybrid charging at them. It was moving on all fours but noticeably slower than before.

As it closed in, Cesar began a graceful dance with his spear, its movements fluid and deliberate. "Get ready," he whispered to Al, who focused on the Spearmint breathing technique, replenishing his Stubborn Will.

Just as the gorilla approached striking distance, Cesar finished his dance and pointed his spear directly at the approaching hybrid creature. In an instant, a torrent of dominating winds descended, powerful enough to snap trees.

The hybrid gorilla was smacked straight into the ground, snapping bones.

Seizing the opportunity, Al leaped towards the beast, intending to plunge his knife into its neck. However, the creature's tail lashed out, snatching Al by the waist. Yet, Al's swift reflexes allowed him to swing his knife, severing the creature's tail in one swift motion.

Without hesitation, Cesar impaled the creature's temple with his spear, ending its life. The hybrid evaporated into a mist, which Cesar's spear absorbed.

Sensing a change in his weapon, he felt its sturdiness and increase. "When we kill anything or anyone with Awakened Will, their remaining Will dissipates and is absorbed by the etheric shell that killed it. Absorbing 'evaporated Will' increases the durability of our etheric shell, making it more resilient. If our etheric shells break in a fight, we might as well be dead." Al explained.

Returning to the hole, Cesar and Al realized they had lost sight of their teammates' direction. Al proposed splitting up to meet the rest of the team as quickly as possible. Cesar agreed, and they swiftly departed, each heading in opposite directions.

As Al ventured deeper into the tunnel's darkness, he could see clearly in the dark. A cultivator whose Will was in the material plane could see without light.

Al's speed was incredible as he moved through the long tunnel. However, the seemingly endless passageway offered no sign of an end. Suddenly, the piercing scream of a woman echoed through the darkness, accompanied by a man's desperate shouting.

Al immediately recognized the high-pitched scream as Ellie's, igniting a surge of determination. His pace quickened, his strides elongating until they no longer resembled legs. It was a blur of motion.

Gradually, a faint opening came into view, emanating a bluish glow. Al maintained his speed, shooting through the opening and revealing a bloody scene.

Yusuf, drenched in his own blood, stood amidst a sea of wounds.

The monstrous hybrid was pursuing Ellie. She would vanish just in time to evade being torn apart. The hybrid had transformed into its towering, 8-foot form.

Al's momentum carried him forward, hurtling toward Ellie, who was hiding behind her floating mirror. At that precise moment, the beast appeared before him.

Al's reflexes were too fast. With his blade raised, he met the hybrid's extended claws head-on, but his strike was much swifter. The beast's exposed neck welcomed Al's blade, effortlessly slicing through the tough hide.

The sound of meat and bone being sliced filled the air, and Al found himself 15 feet away from the decapitated corpse of the hybrid. The creature, bewildered, watched its lifeless body stumble aimlessly before collapsing into a pool of blood.

Yusuf and Ellie stood in shock, marveling at Al's heroic entrance, their gratitude immeasurable.

Regaining his footing, Al rose from the ground, blood dripping from his side, forming a puddle beneath him. The creature had managed to stab its claws into him, making a mess of his ribs.