There were a lot of noises everywhere. The ground was hard and uneven. There were too many plants and roots. Almost no space to walk before you had to go around a tree. Everything so green and dark. So many shadows and beams of light everywhere. I was sweating. It was very hot. My feet hurt.

This place is so annoying. My thoughts are annoying. For God's sake, I am annoying.

I was upset like never before. Not even a day and I was already regretting everything and wanting to go back. Too bad there was no place where to go back.

This place wasn't only deadly but also a pain to travel through. Also, and not less important, it was boring. Just walking like this.

I couldn't help but scrutinize my surroundings trying to find something in which to focus my attention other than my thoughts, which weren't even useful thoughts.

The trees had become taller than in the outskirts of the forest, they from ten to fifteen or even twenty meters tall. I could recognize many different species, I didn't know much about trees, though, so I only knew that they were different. The sight of small trees was rare. There were some exotic-looking trees in my sight from time to time. I could hear animals in the distance but I hadn't seen any of them yet.

I would say that at some point this place went from resembling more a forest to a jungle. Not that I had seen a jungle ever.

Oh well, just under thirty minutes since we left the water stream and I was getting low on things to distract myself with. I don't think that training my mana and spells would be a very good thing to do while wandering after all.

Now, time to scrutinize the creatures. They seem very smart, from what I had seen so far. I was walking in the center of the group, where most of them were. Between the trees sometimes I caught some of the creatures melding in the shadows in the distance. Perhaps they were acting as scouts? The biggest of them was leading everyone through the jungle, clawing a tree every few minutes. Obviously, I didn't know where were we moving, I only knew that we weren't following that water stream anymore. I could only suppose that the creatures were like a nomadic species and not a territorial one.

When I finally got down from the tree a while ago I counted a total of twenty-two creatures, which is a big group. Three of them were so small that they must be babies, just half a meter tall. I was walking right next to them, taking advantage of the protection that they surely receive from everyone else.

A beautiful wonder of nature, that is what I thought of their color-changing fur. It was dark blue but glimmered dark purple with the light.

The creatures had plain faces. A snout that wasn't as pronounced or pointed as a wolf's. Their jaws could open bafflingly wide and they had two rows of fangs, the ones behind were shorter and wouldn't be seen with a casual glance. Their ears faced forward and were round. They had long tails too. The creatures' claws were like ten centimeters long in the ones that were my height and almost double in the biggest. I hadn't seen them retract their claws so I thought that they can't do it like cats supposedly do.

The creatures' only distinct feature from each other was situated in their paws. Their paws were all black but the more you went up to their legs, strange lines started to form until the black fur changed abruptly to just dark blue. These black lines seemed very random but different from each other. One of these beasts had lines like flames and the other had spiraled lines. I had a few already identified.

For their age, I had no idea. I knew that the older a beast that can use spiritual energy is, the stronger it likely was, as they used their inner-mana instinctually.

I think that these weird companions of mine can definitely use their inner-mana as It is the only way to explain their strength and the bizarre lack of noise while walking. I read books about wildlife, stories, and journals and I had never found something as nightmarishly as these creatures' maws and ridiculously long claws. I probably should name their species, more for my own commodity, to not just think of them as creatures or beasts all the time.

So I needed to think of a good name.

There was the one that had been grinning at me every time that our gazes meet. He had fine and long black spikes like-marks that went from the lower part of his paws to the middle of his legs. He will be Smiley.

Then, there was the one that I fought yesterday. He had a lot of black spots everywhere on his legs. I shall name him... Carlos. Yeah, why not?

For the others... I don't know, I am not very good with names. I will leave it for later.

I am still not sure as to how I managed to get on the creatures' good side but I think that I will discover it later on as I'm not the only one here that has achieved that feat.

There were other three beasts that weren't related to the creatures in the group.

A green wolf, its fur was like grass and had some type of dark-green horns with leaf-like scales. It was the only one I thought I have ever heard about. I didn't remember right now.

The second was a very strange one. It was very bulky and moved in a funny way, like a serpent. but it had six legs. At first glance, it looked like a lizard but had something like armor everywhere. It was over half a meter tall and a little more than one meter wide, but even much longer from head to tail, like four meters. Its skin and scales were all gray and I could see some scars in some parts of its body too. Well, almost every animal here had some visible scars. Very intimidating indeed.

The third was also gray but walked on two legs instead. It had two arms that were bigger than its legs, it had tiny blue eyes that were half-closed. It had no claws and had a rather plain nose with just one nasal orifice but with similar characteristics to a human in the rest of its face. It appeared to have a 'serious' expression.

"Uff" I was getting exhausted from walking in this uneven place, and more so as I tried to make as few noises as possible. Living in the streets I thought that I had mastered the silent walk long ago but all of these animals prove me wrong. I needed to perfect it, even more, I have seen them not just walking but also running and jumping without a sound. If they were using inner-mana all the time to accomplish it then they must have staggeringly big inner-mana pools. I don't believe so, though, even the babies make less noise than me when moving and there is no way they have any significant inner-mana to spare.

Maybe I need to start to train my inner-mana, even without an instructor. In the town that training was supposed to start at the age of ten as it was less important than the magical one. Thanks to that I don't know much about it apart from what I have read-

Suddenly a creature stopped in front of me and lied down. Startled, I stared at it as it gazed back at me.

"What?"

The creature kept staring, but I felt that it was doing it in a meaningful way. Did it want me to ride it? I noticed all the group slowing down for us.

I gulped. Better I'm not wrong.

I lift my right leg and sit in the creature's back, taking hold of its neck to not fall. It stands up and everyone else continues to walk but this time the walking speed is slower and stealthier than before. After half a minute all the creatures start separating and rounding some trees.

I finally get it. They didn't want me to ruin some type of ambush.

My mount pokes its head from behind a tree and I lean forward to get a look at what is behind the tree too. Ahead is not a clearing but a slightly darker part of the forest with trees everywhere, a common sight around here.

Then I sense something strange with the sight in front of me.

There is some type of beast hidden in the shadows. At first, I couldn't see it but after focusing my gaze I made out some details of it.

In front of it stands one of the bigger creatures in the group but the beast doesn't move.

I can't help but feel identified with it, after all, I was in its same position not long ago. But just one creature is in front of it, will no one interfere like was in my case? I wonder why the creatures fight in one on one with their prey.

Is this some kind of fight club? Should I not talk about this?

I focus my attention on the events that will come next, however, I also stay alert from whatever sound comes from behind me. I don't want to be killed by something while I watch the fight.

I open my mouth when I recognize the beast but manage to hold back a gasp. It has white eyes and black slit irises that stand out unnaturally from the darkness of the shadows as these eyes aren't giving out any light.

I feel a shudder as I realize that I couldn't see it with my first glance even with these eyes gazing at this general direction all the time.

Its skin is pitch black, it has no fur, no feathers, and not even scales, it has just soft black skin that blends in dark environments. I remember it having five tails, one longer than the others from where it shoots some sort of black liquid that melts everything it touches. It has four large limbs. And has four large fingers in each hand and foot too. Also, in its hands has a large blade that can be retracted above its fingers. Is squatting and I can feel that its eyes are smiling. It's amused by its situation.

Shadow Crawler. This monster is almost the stuff of legends, apparitions of them always include massacres until they are put down by strong martial experts or powerful mages.

Everyone knows of them as they are often mentioned in stories for kids, telling them that they will be eaten by a Shadow Crawler if they don't behave.

My first reaction is thinking of getting out of here as fast as possible but I resist that impulse while starting to tremble a little. I only can be thankful that we encountered it in the middle of the day. In the night a Shadow Crawler is in its natural environment.

However, even during the day, this monster is dangerous. It's an ambush apex predator. This is not everything, it can not only subconsciously manipulate inner-mana like the majority of beasts but can use magic as well.

No wonder it is not afraid. It's fast as lightning after all if it wants to escape I doubt the creatures could stop it.

Oh, yes. Is the creature really planning to deal with it alone?

Before giving me any more time to think the battle starts. The Shadow Crawler spits its venom at the creature from its tail at a high speed. I thought that it would hit as the creature didn't move until the last second.

The attack was barely avoided as the creature jumped sideways with great nimbleness.

Upon landing, the creature charges at the monster in an instant. A clashing sound is heard as the charge was parried by the monster with one arm. Then, the Shadow crawler becomes a black blur as it jumps back and starts darting between the trees faster than I can perceive. As it does it the creature starts chasing it at the same ridiculous speed.

My mount and everyone else starts moving to avoid the clashes and the venom spilled from time to time that starts to melt trees and produce gas, which I bet is poisonous, in large quantities. I hear movements of plants and leaves everywhere as the fighting field starts changing place.

I grip tightly on my mount to not fall and start to chantless cast a spell, just in case.

I get glimpses of the fight between trees and shrubs as everyone keeps moving, trying to maintain the monster surrounded but with a good distance away from them.

Then I see two blurs clashing near us. One of them is sent flying into a big rock in a clearing, once there I can see that it was the Shadow Crawler. Right after, the creature follows it into the clearing.

My mount quickly nears the clearing and pokes its head from a shrub to see. The creature is bleeding from a lot of places but none of these injuries is serious. On the other hand, the Shadow Crawler, which quickly readied itself just a moment after crashing into the rock, isn't in a better state. It has just one injury but it's a big cut in its side that is starting to bleed heavily, probably the product of that last clash.

It seems to me that it is furious now. It has its back against the rock as the creature approaches it slowly.

The Shadow Crawler starts shooting everywhere, at all the creatures surrounding the clearing in its field of vision, and stops after a couple of seconds, probably out of more venom or saving it for later.

Now, there is that poisonous gas everywhere, I think that the creatures managed to avoid being caught and as the monster didn't attack my mount, it hasn't moved yet. The gas doesn't expand much so it stays out of our reach.

Then, everything goes black. No, not black. Everything is much darker now. As if everything lost its color. There are no sounds. I can't feel anything. I can't even feel my heart beating.

I can't see my hands and neither feel them. I try to not fall into panic, barely succeeding thanks that I can still feel the spell that I have been casting this time. I think that I would have gone mad otherwise.

It's using magic. The Shadow Crawler is going seriously now.

I feel disoriented, I know where the monster is but I can't make my eyes gaze in its direction. My eyes refuse to do so and as I don't feel them that only confuses me more.

However, from the corner of my eye, I can make it out, even with everything so dark. I feel its gaze, I feel that is facing me and not the creature that injured it.

It will attack me.

Before I can launch my spell in reflex I see it charging at me from the corner of my eye. It becomes an invisible blur in this darkness, instantly after that nothing happens... I am still alive and I can see normally again.

At the same time that my vision and the awareness of my own body return, I hear a crash a few meters to my left.

Between the leaves I see a tree falling, the creature rolling and the Shadow Crawler's neck held tightly between its jaws.

The creature stands at the monster's back and stabs its claws in the monster's shoulders. The Shadow Crawler howls in pain, and for a second, black smoke leaves its body and melts the creature's fur. Its tail shoots venom at the creature's leg but the creature stands strong. A pressure falls upon the world and I find myself unable to breathe. Just for a second. After that second, the monster's eyes became black and it dies.

A few seconds pass as I keep staring at the monster's lifeless body until I realize that I am grabbing my mount's fur with all my might. I release my grip. I am shaking. It wasn't a normal fight.

My delusion is definitely broken now. Before, I thought that I could have killed a few of the creatures alone but now I see that I would be killed in an instant without any trouble.

I get down from the creature's back and after a couple of steps I throw up in a tree.

I once killed someone and have killed animals during the Lessons for training too, but never before I had felt this shocked. I was underestimating the creatures too much, at every moment I could have committed a mistake. I thought that if they suddenly got too dangerous I could have dealt with them. I was so wrong that my stomach is going wild.

They are definitely on another level. The entire battle was so short, I barely could see anything. So fast that I could only see the moments they clashed and their afterimages. There have been mages capable of bringing down the sky in fire to destroy cities, but, what can they do against a monster so fast with a spell so flashy and with a probably very long casting time?

They would be dead before knowing it. No doubt.

However, I am not unmotivated or afraid after witnessing this, if anything I am excited. If I could move like that then the things I could do would be limitless.

After spitting all the vomit I turn around and see that the monster has been dragged at the clearing again. It seems that they are planning to eat it.

I wonder if it isn't poisonous. Nearing it I see that a pair of the creatures start to eat from its belly.

Seeing a creature eating one hand in one bite I remember the blades that the Shadow Crawler can retract and draw at will above its hands. Reaching for the other hand I inspect it and the slit from where it comes. As I am inspecting the hand, suddenly something clicks and the blade is drawn.

"Mm," I grunt in discomfort.

When the blade got out it cut two of my fingers a little. Luckily they weren't amputated but still are bleeding a lot.

I need to find some herbs to hasten the healing and avoid infe-

Before having the time of doing anything a creature turns to me and licks my hand.

"Hey!" I quickly retract my right hand far from the creature, putting it high, above my left shoulder. Then I feel another lick in my hand.

"Oy!"

Another creature at my left licked me too. Taking a few steps back I frown as one of them follows me.

Are they trying to attack me?

I feel tickles in my hand and glance down, just to widen my eyes in dumbfounded. I can see as the injuries in my fingers are healing. Without any spell or herb.

While I am in a stupor the creature reaches me and starts licking again.

I look everywhere until I find it. The creature that fought a minute ago against the Shadow Crawler. It's lying down while licking its own injuries. They are smaller now.

So... That is why I am still alive?

I suppose that it is a mystery less on my list, isn't it?