Chapter 61: Chapter 57: Something in the Deep Forest

The roar lingered in the forest long after the sound itself had faded.

For several seconds, the clearing remained perfectly still, as if the entire woodland had paused to listen.

Even the wind seemed to hesitate among the tall branches above.

Leaves hung motionless in the air where they had been shaken loose by the earlier battle, drifting slowly toward the ground like silent witnesses to what had just happened.

Broken trees lay scattered around the clearing.

The earth itself had been torn apart during the fight.

Claw marks gouged deep trenches across the soil, and splintered wood littered the area where massive bodies had collided.

At the center of it all stood John.

The black dragon’s massive frame cast a long shadow over the ruined clearing.

His scales reflected faint rays of sunlight filtering through the forest canopy above, giving his body a faint metallic sheen.

His golden eyes remained fixed on the dark wall of trees ahead.

He hadn’t moved since the roar echoed through the forest.

Behind him, the elves slowly began to breathe again.

The echo of that sound had left something heavy in the air.

It was the kind of roar that stirred ancient instincts buried deep inside the mind.

A warning older than language.

Predator.

Something powerful had just announced its presence.

The elf leader stepped forward carefully, stopping a few paces behind the dragon.

His movements were controlled, but the tight grip around his spear betrayed the tension in his body.

“You heard it,” he said quietly.

It wasn’t really a question.

John didn’t turn around.

“Hard to miss,” the dragon replied.

His tone sounded almost casual.

Too casual.

As if the roar had been nothing more than a passing thunderclap.

The elf leader watched the forest carefully for several seconds before speaking again.

“That sound…” he said slowly. “It doesn’t belong to any creature I’ve encountered before.”

John tilted his head slightly.

“That’s because it doesn’t.”

The leader frowned faintly.

His gaze drifted toward the corpses scattered across the clearing.

The body of the Tier-7 monster still lay where John had slammed it into the ground.

Even in death, the creature looked terrifying.

Its armored shell had been shattered by the dragon’s claws, and its massive body was large enough to crush several men beneath its weight.

Not far from it, the Tier-6 monster that had started the battle lay sprawled near the broken treeline.

Two monsters.

Creatures that would normally require an entire warband to defeat.

Now they were nothing more than lifeless carcasses cooling in the dirt.

The elf leader slowly turned his attention back to the dragon.

“And yet something out there made that sound,” he said.

John flexed his claws slightly against the soil.

“Yes.”

The short answer did nothing to calm the growing tension among the elves.

One of the younger warriors shifted nervously behind the leader.

“Commander…” he said quietly. “If something stronger than those monsters is coming… shouldn’t we leave?”

The suggestion hung in the air.

No one immediately dismissed it.

The elves were exhausted.

Their armor was damaged.

Several of them were still bleeding from wounds suffered during the battle.

Retreat would have been the logical decision.

The leader remained silent for a moment.

His gaze drifted toward the deeper forest behind the clearing.

“Our village lies in that direction,” he said quietly.

The younger warrior lowered his head.

“Yes, Commander. I know.”

“If we retreat without understanding what that creature is,” the leader continued, “we might lead it directly to our home.”

Those words silenced the clearing.

Every elf understood what that meant.

If something powerful enough to challenge a dragon reached their settlement…

The consequences would be catastrophic.

The archer who had spoken earlier tightened his grip on his bow.

“So what do we do?” he asked.

No one answered immediately.

John listened quietly.

Then he spoke.

“You’re worrying about the wrong thing.”

The elves turned toward him.

The dragon slowly lifted his head and looked deeper into the forest.

“That thing isn’t following you.”

The leader frowned.

“What do you mean?”

John sniffed the air.

The wind shifted slightly.

It carried scents through the clearing.

Blood.

Broken wood.

Disturbed soil.

And beneath all of that—

Something else.

Something older.

Stronger.

John smiled faintly.

“It’s not hunting you,” he said.

The elf leader’s brow furrowed.

“Then what is it hunting?”

John shrugged.

“Probably me.”

Several elves stared at him.

The younger warrior blinked.

“Why would anything hunt a dragon?”

John’s tail moved lazily across the ground, carving a slow line through the dust.

“There are plenty of reasons.”

He raised one claw.

“Territory.”

Another claw.

“Instinct.”

Another.

“Curiosity.”

The dragon lowered his hand.

“Some creatures simply don’t tolerate competition.”

The elf leader studied him carefully.

“You speak as though you’ve experienced that before.”

John chuckled quietly.

“More than once.”

The casual tone made several elves uneasy.

The leader exhaled slowly.

“You don’t seem worried.”

John glanced at him.

“Should I be?”

“You might be facing something stronger than the monster you just killed.”

John looked toward the Tier-7 corpse.

“That wouldn’t be difficult.”

The leader shook his head slightly.

“You say things like that so casually.”

John shrugged.

“I’m being honest.”

Before the conversation could continue—

The ground trembled.

This time the vibration was stronger.

Loose stones shifted across the cracked earth.

Several elves instinctively grabbed their weapons.

“It’s getting closer,” someone whispered.

A distant crash echoed through the forest.

A tree fell.

Then another.

The sound of something enormous moving through the woods rolled slowly toward them.

Step.

Crash.

Step.

Crash.

Each movement carried immense weight.

The elves instinctively formed a defensive line.

Despite their exhaustion, training guided their movements.

The leader raised his spear.

“Hold your positions.”

The warriors obeyed.

They spread across the clearing again, though this time their formation was tighter.

John watched them quietly.

“You’re really going to fight?” he asked.

The leader didn’t look at him.

“If it reaches our village, we must.”

John studied him for a moment.

Even wounded and exhausted, the elf stood firm.

Interesting.

“…Stubborn,” John muttered.

The leader glanced at him.

“We prefer the word loyal.”

John gave a small amused snort.

Another tremor rolled through the ground.

Branches snapped somewhere deeper in the woods.

The creature was getting closer.

Step.

Crash.

Step.

Crash.

Each movement shook the forest.

One of the younger elves swallowed nervously.

“How big do you think it is?”

No one answered.

John slowly spread his wings.

The movement stirred a rush of wind through the clearing.

“Relax,” he said calmly.

The leader glanced toward him.

“You plan to fight it alone?”

John tilted his head.

“Did you see what happened to the last one?”

The leader sighed.

“…Yes.”

“Then trust me.”

Another tree collapsed somewhere nearby.

The creature was almost here.

Then suddenly—

Everything stopped.

The forest fell silent.

No footsteps.

No breaking trees.

Nothing.

The silence felt unnatural.

Heavy.

One of the elves whispered nervously.

“Why did it stop?”

John’s eyes remained fixed on the treeline.

“It knows we’re here.”

The words sent a ripple of unease through the warriors.

A few seconds later—

Something moved in the shadows.

Branches parted slowly.

Leaves rustled.

Then a shape stepped forward.

The creature that emerged into the clearing was enormous.

Larger than the Tier-7 monster John had just killed.

Its body resembled a wolf, but far more heavily built.

Thick black fur covered its shoulders and back.

Jagged bone-like spikes protruded along its spine.

Its paws were massive.

Large enough to crush a human skull with ease.

Glowing amber eyes scanned the clearing slowly.

When those eyes landed on John—

The creature stopped moving.

The two predators stared at each other.

Behind John, the elves felt the shift immediately.

The pressure between the two monsters was overwhelming.

The wolf-like creature lowered its head slightly.

A deep growl rolled from its chest.

The elf leader whispered under his breath.

“That thing… feels stronger than the last one.”

John smiled faintly.

“Yes.”

The monster’s gaze shifted briefly toward the elves.

For a moment, the warriors felt the crushing weight of its attention.

Several of them instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons.

Then—

The creature dismissed them.

Its focus returned entirely to the dragon.

It had already decided.

They weren’t worth its time.

John stepped forward.

The movement drew the monster’s full attention.

“Good,” the dragon said quietly.

The wolf monster’s claws dug into the earth.

Its growl deepened.

The forest around them seemed to hold its breath.

Behind John, the elves remained frozen.

For the first time that day, they realized something.

They weren’t about to witness a normal battle.

This was a clash between apex predators.

Creatures powerful enough to reshape the forest itself.

The dragon slowly flexed his wings.

His golden eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“Well then,” John said calmly.

A faint grin spread across his draconic face.

“Let’s see what you can do.”

The wolf monster roared.

And the forest trembled.

—

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