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\'That\'s why they\'re confident in their lax security here,\' I thought as I moved through the dense underbrush. \'Most people wouldn\'t dare try to cross this forest, but they\'re underestimating me.\'

The shouts of the soldiers were now a distant echo, the forest swallowing their voices as I delved deeper.

The trees here grew thick and tall, their branches intertwining to form a near-impenetrable canopy. The ground was covered in a layer of fallen leaves, their dampness muffling my footsteps.

"At this point, I should be fully away from the camp."

I had been running away from there for a while now.

"I also erased my smell."

While I had taken measures to mask my scent, I couldn\'t shake the thought that they might send hounds after me. There were many special hounds in the army that specialized in tracking, their keen senses able to pick up even the faintest trail.

\'If they send tracking hounds, especially the ones that can track mana, it\'ll complicate things. I can\'t lower my guard now.\'

But at the same time, after the fight I just did against that third-stage soldier, I could feel fatigue creeping in. The adrenaline rush was wearing off, and my muscles ached from the exertion.

\'No time to rest, though,\' I reminded myself, pushing through the tiredness. \'I need to keep moving.\'

I pressed on, navigating through the dense forest with as much speed as I could muster. The shadows seemed to move with me, the darkness both a friend and a potential foe. My heightened senses kept me alert, every rustle and crackle drawing my attention.

I paused for a moment, catching my breath and listening intently. The forest was eerily silent, but I could feel the presence of life all around me.

\'Stay focused,\' I told myself. \'You\'ve come this far. Don\'t let your guard down.\'

Despite my best efforts, I couldn\'t ignore the growing weariness in my body.

The fight with the third-stage soldier had taken a toll, and I had been running away while ignoring that for a while already.

\'And considering that it is night, there is a high chance that I can miss some territory marks.\'

I had been feeling a little tense for a while now, and there was a reason for that already.

\'Something is nearby.\'

It was different. Compared to the battlefield, this feeling was a lot more different.

\'So, this is the feeling of being targeted by a predator.\'

Being in front of a monster. It was something I was feeling for the first time.

I looked around, my eyes scanning the dense forest for any signs of movement. The shadows seemed to shift and dance, but I couldn\'t identify anything specific. My eyes failed me, unable to pierce through the darkness and foliage.

\'There\'s nothing,\' I thought, frustration creeping in. \'But I can feel it. It\'s close.\'

Realizing that my eyes were useless in this situation, I knew I had to rely on something else.

I took a deep breath, calming my mind and centering my thoughts. Slowly, I closed my eyes and began to spread my senses, reaching out with my mana to form a circle around me.

The world around me came alive in a different way. I could sense the subtle vibrations of the forest, the flow of mana through the trees and ground.

It was as if I had become a part of the forest itself, my senses expanding and merging with the environment.

Well, that was not that dramatic, but the basic idea of spreading senses was similar to this.

I focused, pushing my awareness further out, feeling for any disturbances in the natural order. I created a circle around myself.

The reason for this is clear. While spreading one\'s senses is important and a basic ability for a third-star warrior, it also uses quite a bit of mana. And since I had just recently broken through and had been running for a while, I had yet to recover the mana that I had spent.

That is the reason I created a small circle with a 5-meter radius. From the moment someone or something enters there, I can strike. My blade\'s reach is around 3 meters if we add my arms and my mana coating\'s length.

And the two meters is for my reaction time.

I placed my hand on my estoc, ready to draw it at the right moment. The tension in the air was palpable, the sense of danger pressing in on me from all sides.

SWOOSH!

Suddenly, something entered my circle at a rapid speed. My senses flared, the disturbance clear and immediate. I reacted instantly, my body moving on instinct.

My eyes snapped open as I drew my sword, the blade coated with a dark starlight.

SWOOSH!

My estoc cut through the air, meeting the incoming threat head-on.

"Kieeeeek!"

The creature, a Shadow Stalker, lunged at me, its eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence. My blade struck true, the dark starlight slicing through its hide and eliciting a chilling scream.

"SCREEECH!"

The Shadow Stalker recoiled, its attack thwarted.

"SCREEECH!" it cried, its eyes burning with fury.

I knew I couldn\'t let my guard down. Shadow Stalkers had a unique ability to disappear from sight, blending seamlessly into the shadows around them. This creature would likely use that to its advantage now that its initial assault had failed.

\'Stay focused,\' I reminded myself. \'This isn\'t over yet.\'

Drawing on my knowledge, I recalled the records Elias had left behind.

He had documented many of the creatures in the Shadowed Thicket, providing invaluable information for anyone brave or foolish enough to traverse it. As for why he did that, before being sent here, he was actually preparing for a debate between scholars.

Thanks to him, I knew the Shadow Stalker\'s tricks.

The creature vanished, its form melting into the darkness. The forest seemed to close in around me, the shadows growing deeper and more oppressive.

There was a reason why this forest was feared this much.

A Shadow Stalker\'s physical strength is estimated to be similar to that of a stage-2 warrior, but their danger level is higher, and so are their stealth abilities.

That is why this forest is too dangerous for those below stage three, as it is nearly impossible to pass without having the ability to spread one\'s mana senses across the place.

As the monster vanished, I was prepared. I closed my eyes once more, spreading my senses, feeling for any disturbance in the natural order.

The circle of awareness around me pulsed with energy, the mana flowing through me and into the surrounding area. The Shadow Stalker couldn\'t hide from my senses, not entirely. I could feel its presence, a faint but unmistakable ripple in the mana around me.

\'There!\' I thought, pinpointing its location.

The Shadow Stalker dashed forward once more, attacking me head-on. This time, I was ready. I opened my eyes, my estoc already moving in anticipation of the creature\'s charge. The dark starlight coating the blade flared brilliantly as I swung it in a precise arc.

CLANG!

The creature\'s claws met my estoc, but the force of my strike pushed it back. The Shadow Stalker hissed, its eyes gleaming with anger and frustration. It lunged at me again, faster and more aggressive, aiming for my face.

SWOOSH!

I sidestepped, the estoc moving in a fluid motion. The blade extended, catching the creature mid-leap. The estoc pierced through its chest, dark starlight searing its flesh.

"SCREEECH!"

The Shadow Stalker let out a final, chilling cry as it collapsed to the ground, its body twitching in its death throes. I stood over it, breathing heavily, the estoc still glowing with the residual energy of the strike.

The forest fell silent once more, the oppressive shadows receding slightly.

I had defeated the Shadow Stalker, but I knew there could be more lurking in the darkness. I had to stay vigilant.

I knelt beside the creature, examining it briefly. Elias\'s records had been accurate, and my training had paid off. But this was just one of many dangers in the Shadowed Thicket.

\'That is right. If the Shadow Stalker is appearing, that means I am now in their territory.\'

I looked closely at the Shadow Stalker\'s eyes. As I had expected, the monster\'s eyes were closed and not clearly open.

Their eyes were not their primary means of sensing the world. Instead, they relied on something else—an innate sense, a combination of hearing, smell, and possibly a form of mana detection.

Elias\'s book had mentioned this peculiarity. He had stated that while Shadow Stalkers lived close to each other, they were not gregarious.

They were solitary hunters, territorial, and fiercely independent. This meant that while I might encounter more Shadow Stalkers, they would likely be spread out rather than grouped together.

\'Good. At least I won\'t be facing a pack of them.\'

Most importantly, their blood acted as a monster repellant during this stage of the forest.

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