The voices grew closer, surrounding Xiao and Iva as they ran, desperate to escape.

Iva was terrified by the shadowy, unknown threats closing in on them, but Xiao, using his Gamer Eyes, could see exactly what was after them.

("Shadow Wisp, Wraith, Imp and even Lesser Banshee. Although their combat level is lower than mine, this numbers of them is seriously a pain in the ass.")

Xiao draws out one of his daggers and throws it with deadly accuracy to a Shadow Wisp nearest to them.

To Xiao’s surprise, his dagger passed harmlessly through the Shadow Wisp, leaving it untouched.

Xiao quickly analyzed the Shadow Wisp and the other monsters with Gamer Eyes, searching for a weakness.

("Shit! Only magic can kill these things. Now, this is seriously bad!")

Magic was Xiao’s weak spot; the only spells he could manage were Fire Seed and Ice Droplet—barely even considered magic.

The only weapon that can hurt the monsters around them in Xiao's disposable was the bomb dagger, as it was forged with Elemental Stone. Still, Xiao only crafted a handful of those because the daggers were hard to make.

With Iva by his side and his abilities limited, the situation had turned dire within minutes of entering the forest.

As they kept running, the monsters finally closed in, drawing so close that Xiao could see them clearly, even without his Gamer Eyes.

Iva saw them too—smoky Shadow Wisps, small yet vicious Imps, and many more monstrous figures.

Ominous whispering from the Shadow Wisp and Wraith, malicious giggling from the Imp, and screeching from the Lesser Banshee, all of them chased the duo fanatically.

Iva’s complexion turned pale as the monsters closed in, her body nearly freezing in place with fear.

"Don't stop now! Keep running!" Xiao yelled as he forcefully pulled Iva forward.

Xiao’s urgency snapped Iva back to her senses, pushing her to keep moving despite her exhaustion.

Though the monsters hadn’t yet caught up, they showed no sign of slowing, and Iva was already gasping for air.

"Huff...Huff...Huff..."

Iva was already panting heavily. Compared to Xiao, who fights against monsters and beasts almost daily, this was her first time encountering monsters and running for her life.

Iva was gradually slowing down. Her movement also becomes more and more sluggish. The monsters behind her become more aggressive with their pursuit after seeing their prey slowly getting tired.

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("Iva can't keep running like this, and these bastards are going to catch up as soon as she stops.")

With no other choice, Xiao tossed their pack with all the rations and camping supplies.

"Sorry!"

Before Iva has time to react, Xiao picks Iva up and carries her while continue running.

Iva holds Xiao tightly in his arms. She has put all trust in him with her life.

Thanks to his days in the army and the weight loss from the baggage he had thrown, Now unburdened by the pack and no longer pacing himself to match Iva, Xiao gained speed.

("But even I will get tired out at this rate, gonna find a way to shake off these guys.")

Just when Xiao was still thinking of a way to break through the crisis, his Gamer Eyes detected a cave not far away from them.

Xiao made up his decision in split seconds to head towards there.

After they enter the cave, Xiao puts Iva down and turns his back immediately while pulling out his bomb dagger to face off the monsters.

To his surprise, there was nothing at their back anymore. It appears that the monsters stopped chasing the duo right after they entered the perimeter of the cave.

"What the hell? Why did they stop chasing all of a sudden?" Xiao speaks out his thoughts, confused by the monsters' behavior.

After making sure there were no more monsters around them, Xiao finally relaxed his nerve and put back his dagger. He also switches off his Gamer Eyes as he almost went past his limit.

Xiao shifts his attention to Iva, who still couldn't get herself out of anxiety because of the crisis they just had.

"Everything's okay now. Those disgusting things are already gone," says Xiao as he pats her head, trying to calm her down.

"The monsters...they didn't come in here?" asked Iva as she gradually regained her composure.

"Yeah, I think it has something to do with this cave," says Xiao as he looks around.

The cave seemed ordinary at first—until Xiao noticed a foul smell wafting up from deeper inside.

"Stay behind me," says Xiao to Iva.

He then readies his weapon and starts to move deeper into the cave with full alertness.

As they venture deeper into the cave, the smell of something rotten and foul becomes stronger.

("This awful smell... and why the monsters stop chasing after we came in here. If I'm not wrong...")

"CRACK!"

A loud cracking sound breaks Xiao's concentration. It was heard beneath Xiao's boot.

Xiao reactively looks to the floor.

There were bones all over the floor. More can be seen further in the cave. What Xiao stepped on was a bone that still has meat on it.

("Just as I thought, this cave is a monster's den.")

Although they were in a monster's home, Xiao remains calm as he senses that the owner of this cave is currently not around.

("It doesn't seem like the owner is at home now. Talk about luck.")

As Xiao continued to look around the cave, he saw something that made his hair stand.

It was a mysterious footprint.

The fresh footprints and their abundance confirmed it for Xiao—this was the lair of the creature he had been tracking.

"What's this?"

While checking at the footprint, Xiao comes across some red scales and rugged red furs.

"...Is that!?"

Iva, who was staying close to Xiao, suddenly shouted out loud upon seeing the red scales and furs.

"Whoa! You scare me. What's up?" Xiao asked, puzzled by Iva's sudden outburst.

Iva has a fearful look. Her eyes were glued to the red scales Xiao was holding.

And finally, though still shuttering in fear, she speaks out.

"Th-the man-eater."