Chương 6: The Forest That Watched

The forest remained silent. Leo stood at its edge long after the last Mana Wolf had disappeared. The villagers had already returned home. The fields were empty. The road was stained with blood. And yet Leo remained where he was. His eyes were fixed on the trees. Something had been there. He was certain of it. It hadn't attacked. It hadn't even revealed itself. It had simply watched. That was what bothered him.

A creature powerful enough to frighten a pack of Mana Wolves had no reason to remain hidden from a village of ordinary people. Unless… It had a reason. Leo slowly closed his eyes. He let his breathing settle. The world became quieter. Leaves rustled. A distant bird called. Wind moved through the grass. Then— There. A faint disturbance. Not sound. Mana. Leo opened his eyes. The sensation was already gone. He frowned. It knows how to conceal its presence. That was unusual. Most magical beasts relied on instinct.

This creature had demonstrated something closer to intelligence. Leo took one step toward the forest. Then stopped. He remembered something from his previous life. The strongest martial artists weren't necessarily the ones who charged toward every unknown enemy. They were the ones who knew when not to fight. He turned around. Not today. That night, Leo couldn't sleep. He sat beside his bedroom window. The moon illuminated the village. Everything appeared peaceful. But Leo knew better.

Something had entered the forest. Something strong. And it had been close enough to observe the village. He rested his chin on his hand. Why? There were several possibilities. A territorial creature. A predator. An intelligent monster. Or perhaps… Something else. Leo's eyes moved toward the distant trees. I need information. But information was difficult to obtain. He was seven years old. His parents wouldn't allow him to enter the forest alone.

And if he told them that something powerful was hiding there, they would probably forbid him from going anywhere near it. So he would have to wait. Again. Patience. That word had become increasingly important in his second life. The following morning, Leo noticed something strange. The villagers were afraid. Not of the wolves. Of the forest. Usually, the hunters left before sunrise. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Today, none of them went.

Marcus stood outside the house, speaking with several men. Leo approached.

"What happened?" Marcus looked down.

"Nothing." Leo glanced at the other men. Their faces told a different story.

"Something happened." Marcus sighed.

"Three hunters haven't returned." Leo's expression changed.

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"Before the wolves?" Marcus nodded. Leo said nothing. Three hunters. Missing. Then the wolves appeared. And something else was watching. The pieces were beginning to fit.

"Did they go into the forest?"

"Yes."

"How far?"

"Not far." Leo looked toward the trees.

"Then they're probably dead." The men went silent. Marcus frowned.

"Leo."

"I'm only saying what I think." One of the hunters looked uncomfortable.

"Your son isn't wrong." Marcus turned toward him. The man continued.

"We found blood near the northern trail this morning." Leo's eyes narrowed.

"How much?"

"Enough."

"Any bodies?"

"No." That was more interesting. If a beast had killed them, why were there no bodies? Unless they had been carried away. Or eaten. Or… Leo stopped. Something else came to mind. Maybe they weren't killed. Three days passed. The hunters still didn't return. The village became tense. People stopped traveling alone. The local guards doubled their patrols. Marcus began locking the doors before sunset. Leo continued training. But he paid more attention to the forest. Every day, he sensed the Mana around it.

Every day, something remained hidden within. It never came closer. It never attacked. It simply watched. Until the fourth night. Leo was meditating when he felt it. His eyes opened immediately. The presence had changed. It was moving. Toward the village. Leo stood. He didn't wake his parents. He quietly opened the window and stepped outside. The night was cold. He moved across the yard without making a sound. His Internal Energy flowed through his legs. His movements became lighter. He reached the village boundary.

Then stopped. A figure stood beyond the trees. Leo stared. It was a person. A young woman. She stood barefoot among the trees. Her clothes were torn. Her long brown hair was covered with dirt. Blood stained her shoulder. She looked toward the village. Leo didn't move. The woman noticed him. Their eyes met. For several seconds, neither spoke. Then she raised one trembling hand.

"Help…" Leo narrowed his eyes. Her voice was weak. But something was wrong. Her Mana was strange. Very strange. Leo couldn't sense the normal flow of a human. There was something else mixed inside it. Something dark. Something foreign. He took a step forward.

"Who are you?" The woman collapsed. Leo moved instantly. He caught her before she hit the ground. She was heavier than she looked. Her body was burning with fever. Leo placed two fingers against her wrist. Her pulse was irregular. Too fast. Her Mana was unstable. Poison? No. Something different. He looked at her shoulder. The wound wasn't from a blade. It looked like a claw mark. But the skin around it had turned black. Leo's expression hardened. Mana corruption. He had read about it. Rare. Dangerous.

Usually caused by prolonged exposure to extremely concentrated Mana. But this was far too severe. Leo looked toward the forest. So the creature hadn't simply been watching the village. It had been connected to this woman. Maybe she had escaped from it. Maybe the hunters had too. Leo carried her toward the village. Marcus woke when Leo entered the house.

"What happened?"

"She's injured." His father immediately stood.

"Who is she?"

"I don't know." Marcus examined her. His expression changed.

"Put her here." Leo did. Marcus placed his hand above the woman's chest. A faint blue light appeared. His expression became increasingly serious.

"Her Mana channels are damaged."

"Can you heal her?"

"I don't know." Marcus tried again. The woman's body suddenly convulsed. A black vein appeared beneath her skin. Leo's eyes narrowed.

"Stop." Marcus pulled his hand away.

"What?"

"You're feeding Mana into the corruption." Marcus froze. Leo pointed.

"Look." The black vein had expanded. Marcus stared. Then slowly looked at his son.

"How did you know that?" Leo didn't answer. His attention remained on the woman. The corruption was spreading. Slowly. But steadily. If nothing was done, she would die. Leo thought. He knew Internal Energy could sometimes suppress foreign energy. But his own power was weak. Extremely weak. Still… Perhaps he didn't need to overpower it. He only needed to disrupt it. Leo placed his hand above the woman's chest. Marcus grabbed his wrist.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying something."

"You could hurt her."

"I know." Marcus hesitated. Then released him. Leo closed his eyes. His Internal Energy began circulating. A thin stream entered the woman's body. Immediately, the corruption reacted. Black energy surged toward his Internal Energy. Leo didn't resist. He redirected it. Not outward. Downward. Toward the woman's arm. Then toward the wound. The black veins began retreating. Marcus stared. Leo gritted his teeth. His Internal Energy was being consumed rapidly. Too much. He needed more. He reached for Mana. Not his own.

The Mana surrounding him. A tiny amount entered his body. Then— He guided it alongside his Internal Energy. The two energies moved together. Not fused. Not yet. But synchronized. Leo's eyes widened. The sensation was completely different. The Internal Energy gave him control. The Mana gave him volume. Together, they pushed the corruption back. The black veins began disappearing. The woman stopped shaking. Silence. Leo withdrew his hand. He was exhausted. He nearly collapsed. Marcus caught him.

"Leo!"

"I'm fine." He wasn't. His body was trembling. But his eyes were fixed on the woman. Her breathing had stabilized. The corruption had stopped. Marcus looked at his son. Then at the woman. Then back at Leo.

"What exactly are you?" Leo stared at him. For a moment, the question reminded him of another life. People had asked Park Suho similar questions. What are you? A monster? A demon? A king? A god? He had never known how to answer. Now he was Leo. Just Leo.

"A child," he said. Marcus stared. Leo smiled faintly. The woman woke before dawn. Her eyes opened slowly. She looked around the room. Then at Marcus. Then Elena. Finally, her eyes stopped on Leo. Her expression changed.

"You…" Leo remained silent. The woman swallowed.

"You're the boy…"

"What happened to you?" She hesitated. Fear appeared in her eyes.

"The forest." Leo waited.

"The hunters…"

"What happened to them?" Her lips trembled.

"They found something."

"What?" She looked toward the window.

"The ruins." Leo's eyes narrowed.

"Ruins?" She nodded.

"An old place beneath the forest." Marcus exchanged a glance with Elena. The woman continued.

"The hunters went inside."

"And?"

"They found…" She stopped. Her breathing became unsteady. Leo waited.

"What did they find?" The woman looked directly at him.

"A dragon." Silence filled the room. Leo's expression remained calm. But his mind was racing. A dragon? Here? So close to the village? That didn't make sense. Dragons were supposed to inhabit remote territories. Ancient territories. Places where ordinary humans rarely survived. The woman closed her eyes.

"It wasn't like the stories." Leo frowned.

"What do you mean?" She whispered:"It was asleep." Leo's eyes narrowed.

"And the hunters woke it." The woman nodded.

"No." She looked toward the forest.

"It woke by itself." Outside the window, the first light of morning appeared. Leo slowly turned toward the distant trees. For the first time since his rebirth… he felt something he had not felt in years. Not fear. Not excitement. Recognition. The presence in the forest suddenly returned. Only for an instant. But this time, Leo could feel it clearly. Ancient. Massive. And impossibly dense with Mana. His pupils contracted. The creature wasn't merely watching the village. It was watching him.

And somewhere deep beneath the forest… something enormous opened its eyes. End of Chapter 6.