The air that greeted Devi as she stepped out of the dungeon was cool and carried the earthy scent of moss and damp leaves. She stepped through, her boots crunching softly on the pine-needle-strewn rocky ground. The door shut behind her with a quiet thud, and when she turned to look, the doorknob was gone. Only a weathered wooden door remained, with no way to open it. Dust and debris littered the sides, and a large scar was carved into the stone next to the door, most likely from the monster that had chased her inside.

Faint moonlight filtered through the canopy surrounding the cliff face the door was embedded in. Her night sight was good enough to make out the imposing forest in front of her, fading to black the further she looked.

“At least it is night out,” Devi observed. “It would have been terrible to get dusted right as I stepped out of the dungeon.”

Devi put her hand against the wooden door behind her. For all it looked like a flimsy wooden door, to her touch it felt as if it was carved from stone. It was unmoving, not even shaking in its frame as she pushed against it. Even to her new [Mana Sight], it looked normal. No threads of mana weaving into it, it didn’t even have more mana than the stone around it. In fact, it had less.

She squinted at the door, trying to figure out what secrets it held. But, the door stubbornly refused to give up anything. It rebuffed any attempt to push mana into it and refused to budge even a millimeter when she banged on it in frustration.

With one final useless push, Devi turned and faced the forest. She only had a vague idea of where she was, as her trip to the dungeon had consisted of her running away from a massive boar. Not very conducive to proper map-making.

She could only remember the vague direction Mat, Mars, and herself went off to go hunt. So, figuring it was the best bet, Devi set off in the opposite direction, hoping she’d run into the massive clearing eventually. Her logic was simple: if she didn’t run into the clearing directly, she might at least encounter people. Not that she planned to talk to them—what point would there be in that? Observing from a distance would be more than sufficient to find her bearings.

The forest’s canopy grew denser as she walked, the faint moonlight filtering through in streaks. Each step felt oddly soothing, her tension from the dungeon’s oppressive atmosphere fading with every whisper of the leaves above. The faint breeze that rippled through the trees was intoxicating after weeks of breathing stale, stagnant air.

Even the faint starlight, dim as it was, felt like a gift after relying on glowing array stones for light. Devi let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding, the cool night air filling her lungs and bringing with it a quiet calm she had sorely missed.

As she moved further, the forest seemed alive with sound—the rustling of leaves, the distant hoot of an owl, the occasional snap of a twig underfoot. It wasn’t the oppressive silence of the dungeon, where danger lurked behind every corner. This was different. It was vibrant and untamed, but it felt far less threatening.

Until she heard the howl of a wolf echoing through the night.

The howl sent a chill down Devi’s spine, but she pushed the fear aside, forcing herself to focus. Wolves hunted in packs, and if she stayed where she was, she’d be surrounded in no time. Her hand tightened on the hilt of her broken blade, its edge glowing faintly with heat as embers danced along the metal.

Move first. Panic later.

She stepped quickly but carefully, heading in the opposite direction of the sound. Her boots crunched softly against the pine needles, every noise she made feeling like a beacon. Another howl rang out, this one closer and from a different direction. A third echoed moments later, further ahead.

Devi’s stomach dropped. They are flanking me.

She adjusted her course, veering left toward a thicker part of the forest. The undergrowth snagged at her pants, and low-hanging branches whipped at her face. She cursed under her breath, channeling mana into the blade to coax a faint flame to life at the tip. The glow illuminated her path, but it also made her an easy target.

Though, she knew she was no match for these wolves to chase down. A little bit of fire would help a lot.

Another howl rang out, this time behind her. Devi picked up her pace, jogging now, her breaths coming faster. The forest around her blurred as she moved, her focus split between staying quiet and finding any semblance of safety.

Then she heard it: a low growl, too close for comfort.

Spinning toward the sound, she caught the faint glint of eyes reflecting her blade’s glow. But before she could react, something darted out of the shadows—a blur of fur and claws, bounding toward her.

Devi raised the blade instinctively, the flame flaring slightly as she fed it more mana. The creature skidded to a halt just outside the light’s reach, snarling.

And then she saw it wasn’t a wolf at all.

A raccoon, its eyes reflecting the fiery glow, stared her down with unnerving intensity. It chittered aggressively, baring its teeth as if warning her to stay back.

“What in the world—” Devi began, but her words caught in her throat as more shapes emerged from the shadows.

A group of raccoons, their fur mottled with streaks of grey and black, surrounded her. They moved with an eerie synchronization, their eyes glinting in the dim light. One of them—a larger raccoon with a deep scar across its face—stepped forward, chittering loudly as if issuing commands.

Devi hesitated, keeping her blade raised. They weren’t attacking, but they weren’t backing off either.

She stood there, sizing up the group of raccoons. They came up to around her waist, and most were standing on their hind legs. Most carried sharpened sticks, and other club-like branches. Their weapons were crude, but they looked serviceable. Devi couldn’t help but start to think of ways to improve them. Fire hardening the spears, lashing stones to the clubs. Things she had only read about, but felt she could figure them out with enough trial and error.

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A low growl from behind her broke her out of her thoughts. Turning her head slightly, she caught sight of more glowing eyes in the darkness—this time larger and more menacing. The wolves were closing in, their growls growing louder and more guttural.

The scarred raccoon let out a sharp bark, and the others immediately turned toward the wolves, their fur bristling.

Devi blinked. “You want to fight them?”

The scarred raccoon glanced back at her, its gleaming eyes narrowing as if to say, We don’t have a choice.

Devi felt a grin tug at her lips despite the situation. “Guess you are right,” she muttered before stepping into the group of raccoons, gripping her blade. “Did not think I would be fighting alongside raccoons, but, got to do what you got to do to survive.”

The two groups tensed, the wolves circling around, while the raccoons waved their weapons, puffing up as much as they could.

It was a wolf that made the first move, darting in, jaws snapped shut just inches away from the raccoon’s face, its teeth glinting in the flickering firelight. The raccoon's stick jabbed out awkwardly but effectively, catching the wolf in the shoulder. It yelped and recoiled, leaving a thin line of red across its fur.

After that, the woods exploded into chaos.

Devi had never been in a fight with more than just a couple of people, let alone a battle with a pack of wolves and a troop of raccoons. The cacophony of snarls, yelps, and the sharp cracks of improvised weapons filled the air, drowning out the forest’s natural symphony.

She would never admit it, but, Devi froze as the battle swirled around her. She could see the breath steaming out from the wolves’ maws, their teeth glinting in the light of her blade. Their claws digging furrows into the soft forest ground as they stalked around the group.

The raccoons weren’t stagnant, they darted in and out, quick small attacks, coordinating their attacks. It was strange, as Devi had never seen a pack of raccons more than two or three, usually only solitary ones raiding a trashcan in an alley. But these raccoons were different, and were wicked smart.

She was so focused on what was going on with everything, she almost missed a wolf lunging at her.

Dodging around the snapping teeth, Devi lunged in with her blade, leaving a shallow gash on its flank, causing it to jump back, fading back into the melee around her.

“Focus Devi, focus.”

A quick glance around let her locate the larger scarred raccoon.

Time to put this whole support thing to the test.

“[Attribute Enhancment]!” Devi shouted, foucing on the scarred raccoon. Mana surged through her as she channeled the spell, targeting the raccoon’s Agility. Infront of her hand, the mana pooled out, twisting into a complex seriers of shapes, before latching onto the raccoon, a thin line of her mana connected her to the raccoon. The raccoon noticed, causing it to chitter in surprise.

Seven points wasn’t the most, but, it was still a nice boost. And it was noticeable. The raccoon’s movmentss became more fluid, quicker. It dodged the atacks faster, giving it more time to retaliate.

Devi grinned, seeing her Skill work exactly as she had envisioned. Her small buff was already tipping the scales, but, she figured she could do more. It was time to test out one of her newest Skills.

“[Attribute Drain]”

Her focus was on one of the wolves that was about to sink its teeth into a smaller raccoon. Mana once again flowed out of her hand that gripped her blade, twisting in on itself. She was tempted to stop and stare at the strange shapes it took, but she unfortunately didn’t have the time.

The mana burst from her, a thin stretched out from her to the wolf. When her mana hit the wolf, Devi felt resistance. It wasn’t a physical thing, but more of a mental pressure, easily similar to the pressure she felt from the cursed monster. The only difference was this pressure was light, almost nonexistent in comparison. With only a small push of her mana, she overcame it. But it was still something to keep in mind.

As her Skill connected, the wolf slowed slightly, its Agility drained. It was small, only one point right now, but more importantly, it caused the wolf to hesitate, not used to the feeling. An opening the raccoons did not ignore. Three separate makeshift spears struck out at the wolf, but, only one was able to do anything, the others not sharp enough to piece through the pelt of the wolf.

Devi scanned over the battle, looking for an opening to either strike, or use her newest Skill again, but, it seemed the wolves were backing up. Many of them dripping blood and limping. The raccoons beside her were in a similar shape, licking at bites that had landed. No bodies lay on the ground, on either side.

There was a tense moment where both groups eyed each other, gauging whether another attack would be worth the risk. Devi’s chest heaved as she caught her breath, her blade still glowing faintly in the dim light. She tightened her grip, not willing to show weakness despite the growing fatigue in her limbs.

The wolves, however, seemed to come to a decision first. With a low growl, the largest among them—the apparent alpha—let out a sharp bark. One by one, the wolves began retreating, their glowing eyes fading into the dark forest.

Devi didn’t lower her weapon until the last pair of eyes disappeared. Only then did she exhale, shoulders slumping.

“Well,” she muttered, “that could have gone worse.”

The raccoons were chittering among themselves now, some tending to minor injuries while others gestured animatedly at Devi. The scarred leader limped toward her, still clutching its makeshift spear. It gave her a long, appraising look before letting out a sharp bark-like sound.

“Uh… you’re welcome?” Devi said, unsure how to respond.

The raccoon barked again, then gestured with its spear toward the forest behind it. Devi squinted, trying to make sense of the gesture. Was it... asking her to follow?

“You’re leading me somewhere?” she asked hesitantly. “Or is this some kind of raccoon victory parade?”

The scarred raccoon tilted its head, clearly not understanding her words but waiting expectantly. When she didn’t move, it barked again, more insistently this time.

Devi hesitated. Following a group of raccoons deeper into an unknown forest wasn’t exactly how she envisioned her night going. But she had no bearings and no better plan.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Lead the way, mighty raccoon leader.”

The raccoon chittered, sounding almost pleased, and turned to shuffle into the forest. The others fell in line behind it, some glancing back at Devi as if making sure she was still following.

Devi trailed behind, keeping her blade at the ready just in case. As strange as this all was, she couldn’t shake the feeling that these raccoons had saved her life just as much as she’d helped them. And while she wasn’t entirely sure where they were taking her, one thing was certain: this forest was far from ordinary.

As they moved deeper into the trees, Devi noticed faint signs of civilization—or at least something resembling it. Worn paths crisscrossed the forest floor, and faint markings adorned some of the trees. The further they went, the more it became clear that the raccoons weren’t just wandering aimlessly. They had a destination in mind.

When they finally emerged into a small clearing, Devi froze.

In the center of the clearing stood what could only be described as a miniature village. Tiny huts made of sticks, leaves, and mud were clustered together, with glowing mushrooms providing soft illumination. Raccoons scurried between the structures, some carrying tools, others tending to small fires or sorting through piles of gathered food.

“This…” Devi trailed off, struggling to find words. “This is incredible.”

The scarred raccoon turned to her, chittering once again as if to say, Welcome to our home.