​Dalgor stood before the control panel, his hands trembling.

​The black walls around him pulsed with veins of violet light. The binary display before him glowed brightly, rendering a map of the Wailing Forest in a resolution he had never imagined possible. The blackened trees were depicted as grey dots, the mist as opaque white zones, and in the heart of it all, Castle Zero shone as a pulsating violet icon.

​He had been standing there for ten minutes, not yet daring to touch a single thing.

​”This…” Dalgor swallowed hard. “This all comes from your warship?”

​Dola stood beside him, her right hand on her hip, her left pointing toward the screen. Her glowing blue eyes reflected the light from the panel.

​”Yes. Once.”

​”Once when?”

​”In an age whose name you wouldn’t even recognize.”

​Dalgor didn’t press further. Since waking from his coma, he had learned that Dola disliked being questioned too much about the past. Whenever he tried to dig deeper, she would either remain silent or offer a single, cryptic sentence that explained nothing.

​It was enough to know this technology existed. It was enough to know that he was now the one tasked with operating it.

​Dayat stood behind them, arms crossed. His boots made no sound on the obsidian floor as he observed. From his position, he could see the display over Dalgor’s shoulder.

​”These sensors,” Dola pointed to the bottom-right corner. Her slender finger brushed the panel, and a new menu cascaded open. “A five-kilometer radius. It detects living beings based on thermal signatures and neural vibrations. Monsters, humans, birds, wolves—everything is visible.”

​Dalgor blinked. “Five kilometers?”

​”It used to be further. But my energy is currently limited. This is the best I can do.”

​”How far was it before?”

​Dola looked at Dalgor. Her eyes didn’t blink. Dalgor didn’t ask again; he simply nodded and turned back to the screen.

​Dola pressed a button, and the map expanded. Small red dots began to populate the area around the castle. Dozens. Perhaps hundreds.

​”These are the monsters in our vicinity,” Dola explained.

​Dalgor took a step back, his foot nearly catching on a cable. “A hundred?”

​”One hundred and twenty-three. But they won’t approach. The castle emits a repellent energy.”

​”And if that energy fades?”

​Dola stared at him longer this time. Her blue eyes blazed, but her face remained devoid of expression.

​”Then don’t let it fade.”

​Dalgor nodded quickly. His hands had stopped trembling—or at least, he was forcing them to stop. He leaned closer to the panel, reading the data. The red dots moved slowly; some clustered in the east, others wandered alone in the west. Some remained stationary, as if asleep.

​”And this one?” Dalgor pointed to a cluster in the south. “Wolves?”

​”No. Thorned Howlers. They gather in the old mine caves.”

​”Are they dangerous?”

​”If you were to step outside the castle alone, yes.”

​Dalgor had no intention of doing such a thing. He continued to watch the screen, growing accustomed to the movement patterns. One group moved north then doubled back south. Others stayed put all day.

​Suddenly—

​Beep.

​The screen flickered. A new dot appeared at the edge of the map, right at the border of the sensor’s radius. Its color was different from the usual monster indicators. It was larger. Brighter.

​Dola tensed instantly, her eyes narrowing.

​Dalgor pointed. “What… is that?”

​”I don’t know,” Dola replied.

​”You don’t know?”

​”The distance is too great. The sensors can’t identify it yet.”

​Dalgor swallowed. He watched the dot. It didn’t move. It simply stood there at the edge of the forest.

​”A monster?” he asked.

​”No.”

​”A human?”

​Dola didn’t answer. She just stared at the screen.

​Dayat stepped forward. “Is something entering?”

​Dola shook her head. “Still on the edge. It hasn’t breached the inner sensor radius.”

​”Let me see.”

​Dola stepped aside. Dayat took his place before the panel, his gaze locked onto the red dot. It was perfectly still.

​”Standing its ground,” Dayat muttered.

​”For how long?” Dalgor asked.

​”Since the moment the sensors detected it,” Dola answered.

​Dayat let out a breath. “Keep monitoring it. If it moves, tell me immediately.”

​In the castle’s backyard, the sun never truly made an appearance.

​Kancil had been standing in the middle of the yard for an hour. His dark blue jacket was damp with dew, and his brown hair was a mess—it had never been neat since he moved here.

​In his right hand, he held a Desert Eagle .50 AE. It was heavy, but he was used to it. His palm had hardened against the grip.

​Loy stood to his left, slightly behind. He held a Glock 19 with a stiff, awkward grip. His fingers were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. His breathing was uneven; he was nervous.

​Riri was to the right, further forward. The Glock 26 in her hands looked like a perfect fit for her small palms. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity rather than fear.

​”Stance,” Kancil said. His voice was steady—neither high nor low. “Don’t keep your feet too close, or the recoil will knock you over.”

​Riri widened her stance without hesitation. Loy mimicked her but remained clumsy, his feet shifting between too wide and too narrow.

​”Like this?” Riri asked.

​”Yes. Good.”

​Kancil raised his Desert Eagle, aiming at a glass bottle placed on the fence—an old sauce bottle from the kitchen. Lunethra had said they could use it.

​”Watch. Hand position. Don’t be tense. Think of it as a toy.”

​Bang!

​The roar was thunderous. Loy and Riri reflexively covered their ears. The bottle on the fence shattered, glass shards raining onto the dirt.

​Riri clapped her hands. “Cool!”

​”Your turn,” Kancil said, lowering his weapon and crossing his arms.

​Riri stepped up first. She didn’t need to be coaxed; she was already moving before Kancil had even finished speaking. She raised the Glock 26 with both hands, squinting as she aimed. Her tongue poked out slightly in concentration.

​”Don’t be tense,” Kancil repeated.

​”I’m not tense.”

​”Your hands are shaking.”

​Riri looked at her hands. They were, indeed, trembling slightly. She sighed, lowered the weapon, and shook out her wrists. She took a deep breath and raised it again. This time, she was steadier.

​Bang!

​The bottle didn’t break. The bullet kicked up dust to the left. Riri pouted. “I missed.”

​”Not bad,” Kancil encouraged. “It was close. Try again.”

​Riri reloaded the magazine. Her fingers were stiff, but she knew the mechanics. Kancil had drilled them into her. She aimed again, longer this time.

​Bang!

​The bottle exploded. Riri jumped with joy. “I did it!”

​”Loy, you’re up,” Kancil said.

​Loy stepped forward, his movements hesitant. He raised the Glock 19. His shoulders were hiked too high, as if he were carrying a physical weight. Kancil moved closer, placing a hand on Loy’s shoulder and pressing down gently.

​”Relax. Don’t be stiff.”

​Loy nodded. He aimed at the bottle. His finger found the trigger.

​Bang!

​The bullet went wide, striking the castle wall behind the target with a sharp metallic ping. Loy lowered the gun, his face flushing red. “Sorry.”

​”It’s fine,” Kancil said. “Again. Get back into position.”

​Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

​The fifth bullet finally clipped the bottle. It didn’t shatter, but it was knocked off the fence.

​Loy sighed. “I can’t do this.”

​”You can,” Kancil countered. “You saw it yourself. The fifth shot hit.”

​Suddenly—

​Awoooooo.

​A wolf’s howl echoed. Close. Just outside the perimeter.

​Kancil turned instantly, his Desert Eagle raised toward the fence. Loy stepped back, shielding Riri. The back door flew open and Dayat stepped out, his black jacket fluttering.

​”Get inside.”

​They didn’t argue. Once they were through the door, Dayat peered through the small glass window. No attack followed. Only silence.

​Dozens of kilometers away, deep within the forest.

​A man stood motionless among the blackened trees. A long black cloak draped over his frame, nearly touching the ground. His face was obscured by the shadows of the canopy, revealing only a sharp jawline and dark, slightly long hair.

​At his waist hung a sword. The scabbard was plain, but the hilt was made of ancient metal etched with archaic symbols—marks not belonging to any current kingdom.

​He made no sound. He didn’t sigh or even clear his throat. His mission was clear: penetrate the forest, find the castle, and eliminate the Maiden’s envoy.

​He took a step. The dry leaves beneath him didn’t crunch. Two steps. Three. Four.

​He walked slowly, heading west.

​Behind him, monsters began to follow. Not because he commanded them, but because they were drawn to something they couldn’t understand. Like moths to a flame.

​The man didn’t look back.

​In the control room, Dalgor was alone. He looked at the status screen, trying to make sense of the terms.

​Energy Shield: 30%

Auto-Cannons: Offline

Sensors: Active (Limited Radius)

Main Reactor: Sleep Mode

​”Dammit,” he muttered. He pressed a button, returning the display to the map. The red dots of the monsters were still there, but at the edge of the screen—where the bright, intense red dot had been—there was nothing.

​Dalgor blinked. He zoomed in. Nothing. He panned left, right, up, and down.

​The dot had vanished.

​In The Heart of Logic, Dayat stood by the large window. Dola was beside him, her white cape pooling on the floor.

​”This forest is changing,” Dayat said softly.

​Dola nodded. “I know.”

​”It’s different from when we first entered.”

​”It’s Wabil,” Dola explained. “His aura is beginning to permeate the woods. The monsters are becoming more feral. The mist is thicker. The air itself feels heavier.”

​”Is that a sign he’s about to awaken?”

​Dola shook her head. “It’s a sign he is awakening. But he cannot leave yet. He needs me to accelerate the process.”

​Dayat stared into the mist. “And if we don’t help?”

​”He will still awaken. But it will be slower. Years, perhaps decades.”

​”And Morbis?”

​”Morbis is just a messenger. His task is to wait.”

​”Wait for what?”

​Dola looked at Dayat, her blue eyes glowing dimly. “Wait for Wabil to rise. Or wait for us to die. Whichever comes first.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep