The beasts that had circled them, with their massive and intimidating hulking forms and sharp horns, left without warning.


    Whoosh!


    Their departure was sudden and eerie, leaving behind only the soft rustling of the deadly forest.


    Lyerin''s group stood still, frozen in a mix of fear and confusion as the monstrous creatures disappeared into the shadows, their glowing eyes flickering onest time before vanishing.


    ''Do what I tell you to do,'' Lyerin mumbled.


    The silence that followed was thick and unnerving. But then, a new sound reached their ears—a low rumble that grew louder by the second.


    The ground beneath them trembled violently, sending shudders through their bodies.


    Before anyone could react, a massive stone pir erupted from the earth, rising into the air like a monolith.


    Its t surface gleamed in the dim light, and across it, concise and clear words were etched in anguage they could all understand:


    [ Your tribe has been chosen to participate in a special event where the fate of your Absorbed world, called Earth, will be in your hands.


    [ Your goal is to be one of thest ones standing.


    [ Rewards: Unknown.


    [ Failure: Of course, death! ]


    For a moment, there was nothing but stunned silence.


    The words hung in the air like a curse, each one heavier than thest.


    Slowly, the realization of what they had just read began to sink in, and with it, panic erupted like wildfire.


    "What the hell is this?"


    Maria''s voice was the first to break the silence. Her eyes were wide with terror, and she stumbled backward, her face pale as though she had just seen a ghost.


    "Participate in what? What does ''fate of Earth''? Are we going to die?"


    Corora shook her head in disbelief, her voice trembling.


    "This... this can''t be real. This has to be some kind of sick joke. We were just supposed toe here for shelter, for survival, not for this! Not to... not to fight for Earth''s survival!"


    Sophia''s usually calm andposed demeanor cracked under the pressure. Her breathing became erratic, and she clutched her chest as though trying to calm the storm of anxiety building inside her.


    "Last ones standing? That means... we''ll have to fight, won''t we? We''ll have to kill or be killed! We''re not ready for this! We don''t even know where we are!"


    Elena''s voice was sharp, her anger rising as her fear bubbled over. "Why us? Why our tribe? We didn''t sign up for this! This is madness! We''re supposed to survive, not fight some battle we didn''t even choose!"


    Lydia, who had always been level-headed, felt her hands tremble. She tried to keep her voice steady, but the panic was clear in her tone.


    "This is impossible. There''s no way we can handle this. We''re not warriors—we''re barely surviving as it is! How can we be expected to win something like this?"


    Fiona, on the verge of tears, clung to Emily, her voice small and filled with dread. "I can''t... I can''t do this. I''m not strong enough. We''re not strong enough. This is going to be the end of us, isn''t it?


    We''re all going to die."


    Emily, who was usually the silent observer, spoke up in a trembling voice, trying to reassure Fiona, but her words were filled with uncertainty.


    "No... maybe we can find a way out of this. There has to be another way, right? Maybe this is just a test, maybe—"


    Natalie''s usuallyposed face was twisted in fear, and she was visibly shaking.


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    "What do they mean by ''fate of Earth''? What does Earth have to do with this? Why are we being dragged into this nightmare?"


    The panic continued to escte.


    The girls and the neers were speaking over each other, their voices rising in volume and intensity, feeding off one another''s fear.


    Some of the neers began pacing frantically, others dropped to their knees in despair.


    The chaos was palpable, a storm of emotions threatening to consume them all.


    Through it all, Lyerin stood in the center of the group, arms crossed, watching the pandemonium unfold.


    His face was calm, but there was a glint of excitement in his eyes, a hunger for what was toe. And then, when he could no longer contain himself, he threw his head back andughed.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Hisughter was loud and booming, cutting through the panic like a de. "THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!"


    The sudden outburst drew the attention of everyone around him.


    They turned to look at Lyerin, their fear and confusion momentarily reced with shock at his reaction.


    One of the neers, a young man who had kept his distance until now, cautiously stepped forward. His face was pale, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "S-Sir Lyerin... are we... Are we in danger?"


    Lyerin turned his gaze on the man, his expression one of amused disbelief.


    "Are we in danger? Of course we are, you fool! Can''t you see? This isn''t our tribe''s territory. We''ve been sent somewhere else, somewhere far more dangerous. So you all better be prepared, because this is going to be a bloodbath."


    As soon as the words left his mouth, a loud bang! echoed through the clearing.


    The stone pir, with its ominous message, disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, sinking back into the ground.


    The tremors began again, and momentster, another stone pir shot up from the earth.


    This one was smaller, but the words etched into its surface were just as clear:


    [ The host and others will be given a fountain of healing and shelter that is perfect for the tribe.


    [ Duration of the Survival: Unknown. ]


    There was a long pause as the group processed the new information.


    Then, the stone pir began to tremble once more, and with a loud swoosh, the earth swallowed it whole.


    Silence fell over the group once again, but this time it was a heavy, oppressive silence.


    No one made a sound, no one made a move, as they all stood frozen in ce.


    Lyerin, however, was unfazed.


    Slowly, he walked toward the fountain that had appeared alongside the shelter.


    It was a beautiful, crystalline structure, its waters shimmering in the dim light. Without hesitation, Lyerin extended his hand and touched the water, feeling its coolness against his skin.


    Then, with a swift movement, he drew a de and shed his wrist, blood spilling from the wound.


    The others gasped in horror, but Lyerin remained calm. He scooped a handful of water from the fountain and drank it, his eyes locked on the wound. Slowly but surely, the bleeding stopped.


    The wound began to wiggle and shift, as if the flesh were knitting itself back together. In a matter of moments, the cut was gone, leaving behind smooth, unblemished skin.


    Lyerin smiled in satisfaction and turned his attention to the shelter.


    From the outside, it appeared small, barelyrge enough to fit half of the group. But when he stepped inside, he found that the interior was four timesrger than it seemed, a space big enough to amodate them allfortably.


    As he took in the sight, a notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.


    [ Ding!


    [ You have made your Stonehooves Tribe reach level three. ]


    Lyerin''s smile widened. Now things are getting interesting, he thought.


    Outside, the others were still reeling from the events that had just unfolded.


    Fear lingered in the air, but there was also a glimmer of hope.


    The fountain and the shelter were a lifeline, a small mercy in a world that had just be infinitely more dangerous.


    But as Lyerin stood in the center of the shelter, his mind was already thinking of something ahead, nning, calcting.


    War wasing.


    And Lyerin couldn''t wait.