Chaos overwhelmed the entire area, and dust flew densely, forming an enormous cloud that completely blocked visibility.

Arthur cut through the dust, making it ripple. He continued running like a madman, and did not stop until he was certain it was no longer raining lethal spears.

He stood two and a half miles away from his den, panting. His heart pounded so hard it felt as though it would burst out of his chest at any moment.

"Damn, I nearly died. Watching powerful beings fight is truly not a good idea." The moment he felt a little safety, he lost the strength in his legs, and collapsed into a sitting position.

Little by little, the dust cloud cleared, revealing his surroundings. He found they had become completely different.

Massive craters and trenches filled the place. Trees had been leveled to the ground, and the few that remained standing were bent, and most of them were in a terrible state.

Silence prevailed, no bird chirped, no monster roared, the ground was still, and the air was unsettlingly calm.

Even that annoying feeling of unease, caused by the Calamity Spider’s presence in the area, had disappeared.

Arthur took a deep breath, and calmed himself, then returned to his den. He walked with extreme caution, fully prepared to flee again the moment he sensed anything suspicious.

Upon arriving, he found that his den had become like everything else in the area, nothing but ruins.

"My beautiful den, my bed, damn that insect, and the humans too, they ruined everything." He pursed his lips, and shook his head regretfully.

From a certain angle, it was ironic, for just a short while ago he had been thinking about leaving of his own free will, yet he still felt greatly annoyed upon seeing his den destroyed.

This was understandable given the sentimental value it held for him, for the den was his home, his safe haven, and the place where he had opened his eyes for the first time in this strange world.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the ground beneath him shook faintly, and after a short while, sounds of very distant explosions rang out.

"Have they not finished yet?" His lips twisted in a sarcastic smile, but it did not last long, for seriousness quickly returned to his face.

"This place is no longer suitable for living, there is no point in staying any longer."

He carefully scanned his surroundings. The forest he knew had disappeared, and all the monsters had fled, and it was clear they would not return anytime soon.

He seriously thought about his next destination. After a short while, he made his decision, and headed northwest, moving away from the source of the explosions and tremors.

On the way, he passed through the area where he had faced the goblins a few days ago, and as expected, he saw none of them, for they had all fled, leaving behind their long wooden spears, and piles of stones they used in their traps.

They left clear tracks behind them, which made following them an easy matter, but, in all honesty, Arthur had no desire to know where they had gone, and in fact hoped their paths would not cross again anytime soon.

On the other hand, there was another matter that caught his attention, which was that most of the Nullscent flowers that had been growing in the area had disappeared, with only small buds remaining.

’This is a little strange, do the goblins know a way to pick them without them exploding? Or perhaps another creature did it? Humans? That’s just their nature. They take anything valuable they come across.’

He paused a little, and took a moment to carefully examine the place, but he found no strange tracks, and this confirmed his suspicions, the goblins were the ones who had taken them.

Since there was nothing to gain, and after satisfying his momentary curiosity, he ignored the matter of the flowers entirely, and continued walking, venturing deeper into the unusually silent forest.

He reached a new area. He passed beside a massive foul-smelling swamp, and avoided several obstacles in his path, dense shrubs full of thorns, small slopes, streams, and even massive unnatural craters. All kinds of harsh terrain.

If an ordinary human had moved through the place, it would have taken a long time, and great effort, to cover a single kilometer.

In any case, as time passed, the forest around him began to regain its familiar vitality and activity, and that unsettling silence disappeared. Insects buzzed, birds chirped, monkeys screamed in the treetops. This made him feel a little relieved.

"Enough moving for today." After covering a distance of over a hundred kilometers, he finally stopped to catch his breath.

He looked at the sky, which had darkened a little, and headed off to search for a shelter to spend the night in. Sleeping in the open was not practical.

A new area meant new dangers, and he truly did not want to face any predators that wanted to eat him, he had had more than enough excitement and tension for today.

After a short while, he found a large, old tree trunk with a big hollow inside, it was not spacious, nor was it solid, but it would serve the purpose.

He blocked the entrance with several thorny shrubs, then lay down inside, rested his exhausted body, and at the same time maintained his caution.

’It stands to reason that there are other powerful monsters ruling different parts of the forest, just like that spider. I’d better stay out of sight.’

This thought passed quickly through his head, then he closed his eyes, and slowly drifted toward sleep. The moon rose, and it too drifted across the sky toward its setting.

When the night had passed its midpoint, he suddenly opened his eyes, and immediately stood upright. His breathing became erratic, and a dark expression appeared on his face.

He moved his head very slowly, and examined the walls of the trunk around him as though he were tracking something. Through some small cracks he saw a grey shadow circling the trunk.

Then suddenly, from between a large crack, dark blue eyes appeared. Then, impossibly, the monster let out a growl whose meaning he immediately understood. "Got you."

"Hah?!" Arthur gasped loudly, and his eyes widened to their fullest. He was deeply shocked and struggled to comprehend how he had understood what the other monster was saying.

But he, unfortunately, was not in a position that allowed him to ask questions, he quickly calmed himself, and prepared to fight with everything he had.

Outside, the other monster stepped back a little, then surged forward, and shattered part of the trunk with its body. At that moment its full form was revealed.

[ Wolf — Common — E-Rank ]

The other wolf raised its head, then howled loudly, and in that moment, more wolves rushed toward him.

"Fuck." Arthur could only curse.