In a dark cave, Sylvie opened her eyes.

Her head ached, and yet…

… she didn't complain.

If anything, she was grateful for being alive.

As soon as she opened her eyes, a dark, jagged ceiling of a cave greeted her.

Where am I?

She thought, sitting up, ignoring the pain flaring through her body for every movement.

I remember the g-goat monster…

… and then

Rael Von Ashborn.

With the name… came the memory of what happened?

Why did he save me?

The question still haunted her mind.

And yet no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand.

There was no logic in kindness.

Kindness was a luxury purchased by the strong. And she had nothing left to pay with—except her life.

So why did he give it back?

And more importantly… why would he ask to be eaten… to be killed just to take advantage of her?

Did he perhaps fall for me?

An intrusive thought made its way into her logical mind.

No. That can't be.

She denied the thought immediately, she knew better than to be delusional.

She knew men like him didn't fall. They descended with purpose and calculation,

Again the thoughts only looped to more question but no answers.

Maybe… he knew something I didn't.

Like how he knew about the monster at the academy gate being a teleportation gateway to the orientation hall.

The thought sounded just as far-fetched, but it was the only one that made sense.

Just then something flashed in her mind.

What if…

… what if the goat monster was also like that frog monster?

What if it also had some specific mechanism that leads to teleportation somewhere else?

The more Sylvie thought about it, the more it made sense.

Before she could ponder more, her thoughts turned toward her current location.

She was in an unfamiliar cave.

The last memory she had was fainting in the open clearing.

So, where the hell am I?

She looked around her.

Dead-bodies of a few orcs were sprawled around her, painting the cave in green blood.

But then, her gaze fell on him.

The only other living being in the cave.

A crimson-furred bear.

He sat hunched at the entrance of the cave with a cloak on his back as if he was guarding her.

Isn't that the tamed beast of the Ashborn heir?

She remembered seeing it in the orientation hall.

She raised her body from the ground. Her body had been healed.

A small empty vial was near her with a single drop of blue liquid.

Did he give me the healing potion?

Why?

Did his master order him to do that?

With slow and steady steps she made her way towards the entrance.

The bear, noticing her presence, turned.

"So, you are awake, Miss."

His calm and gentle voice echoed through the air.

His accent was even more fluent than many of the nobles she had seen.

She felt curious about how a beast could speak so fluently.

She had heard there were a few ways a beast could learn human speech… but she didn't know it could be to this extent.

"Thank you." She bowed slightly to the bear, genuinely grateful for his help.

She didn't know if it was all planned by the Ashborn heir, but the fact that they saved her life was undeniable.

If she had been left unconscious on the forest floor alone… she didn't know what could have happened.

The forest roamed with countless predators. Each one trickier and more cunning to deal with.

So, the bear taking her to the cave and even giving her a healing potion was no less than a savior to her.

"It's alright, Miss…" The bear waved his hand. "I was just following my liege's orders."

Her mind raced again.

She could understand him saving her from monsters… if that monster was really an entrance to some hidden space.

But this made no sense.

Why would he ask her to be saved afterwards? Especially if his goal was the entrance within the monster.

The more she thought about him, the more mysterious he seemed, as if he knew something far more important than her.

And worst of all, she couldn't understand the logic behind his actions.

Ever since childhood, she knew humans were logical beings.

They killed. They betrayed. They destroyed.

But everything had a logic… a motive behind that.

And yet, no matter how much she thought, she just couldn't understand the motive behind his actions.

Who are you, Rael Ashborn?

Still, she understood better than anyone that now wasn't the time to overthink.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she needed to move before the forest shifted again.

She had understood the pattern slightly.

She looked at the Bear to ask what his next plan was… But before she could say anything, the bear cut her off.

"If you are all healed, I will go now." He didn't even wait for her confirmation and started walking away.

"Hey, wait—" Before she could say anything or even ask where they were… The forest shifted.

The bear, which had been just outside the cave, vanished, and the scenery changed.

She could see a few rough wooden huts built within a barricade.

A fire raged in the middle, emitting black smoke.

It was a monster settlement.

But something was strange, she couldn't see any monsters.

Where am I now?

She sighed, hoping she wouldn't be attacked as soon as she stepped out.

But staying in the cave was stupidity.

The cave only had one entrance… So if someone attacked, there would be no way for her to retreat.

So, she stepped out cautiously.

Still, she couldn't see any monsters.

Is this an abandoned settlement?

That was the only explanation.

Before she could thank her luck… A humane voice echoed from the front.

"Who are you?"

She raised her head to see a boy with navy blue hair and blue eyes.

A few other students surrounded him.

It didn't take long before she understood where she was.

Is this the camp the students spoke about?

She had met a few other students before she encountered the goat monster.

They had asked her to join the camp.

But Sylvie didn't like their gaze and rejected it.

They told her that the camp was made by some strong human for survival… and that they had taken over an orc settlement.

Before, they could share more details… The goat monster attacked her out of nowhere, and the two guys ran off somewhere.

So, this must be the camp they spoke of.

The blue-haired boy stepped forward, his gaze scanning her calmly.

"Are you a human?" He asked in a guarded tone.

What a fool.

Sylvie sighed.

They were in a completely different domain, and these fools were still stuck differentiating between demons and humans.

Still, she answered calmly. "Yes."

There were far too many of them for her to fight it out. And more importantly, there was no reason to fight.

The boy leading smiled.

"That's great… Can you show us your blood, please?" Still, he didn't trust her blindly and asked for proof.

Sylvie took out the dagger from her storage ring and made a small cut on her index finger.

A drop of crimson blood dripped from it.

The smile on the face of the blue-haired boy deepened.

"Welcome to the camp, Miss." He walked slowly towards her. "I am Silas Oceanheart. Nice to meet you."

Sylvie looked at him for a moment. "I am Sylvie."

After encountering the goat monster, she understood one thing… it was better to act with others than to act alone.

And if some fools were extending their help by themselves, then why should she even reject it?

The boy in front of her looked different from the two boys who had told her about this camp before.

He looked respectful.

But Sylvie knew better than to trust smiling faces.

Still, she didn't say anything just yet.

She decided to stay for a while before deciding anything.

—

Meanwhile, after the forest shifted, Bearlo was teleported to a completely different location.

The cave had vanished behind him, replaced by a thinner canopy of ghostly trees.

His ears picked up the sound of flowing water from nearby.

A river?

He immediately started walking towards the direction of the sound.

His liege had provided him with enough supplies to last for a whole month, and even the cloak was with him…

…Now he just needed to collect the artifact his liege had asked of him.

And he had absolutely no intention of letting the expectations of his liege down.

He had already wasted enough time to save the lady.

So, he had no intention of wasting any more of his time.

After a few minutes he arrived on a cliff. Below, he could see a long river stretching towards the sun.

Is this the river my liege asked me to find?

This must be it.

His liege had told him before that there was only one river in this cursed forest.

As he looked at the river, only one thought echoed in his mind.

I will definitely find that artifact.

For my liege… and for the trust he placed in me.

—

Author's Note

Thank you for bearing with me on this one, our lovely, benevolent and just a little bit chaotic protagonist doesn't make an appearance here.

This chapter was all about building the groundwork.

From here on, though, the next few chapters will dive fully into Rael's POV as he works through his class quest.

I appreciate your patience and hope you'll enjoy the journey ahead!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.