Pain.
Consciousness slowly returned.
Every part of my body felt sore, as though I had been rolled down an entire mountain. The pain wasn't unbearable, but it lingered with every breath.
...Still alive.
A quiet sigh escaped my mouth.
I slowly pushed my neck out of my shell, followed by one foreleg... then the other. The stiffness in my limbs made every movement feel unusually heavy, but at least they still responded.
"Hoo..."
I really survived.
Only then did I lift my head to examine my surroundings.
Towering ancient trees stretched high into the sky, their dense canopies allowing only scattered rays of orange sunlight to filter through. The forest carried a faint scent of damp earth and crushed leaves.
My eyes drifted farther ahead.
Broken branches littered the ground in every direction. Fresh splinters of wood were scattered across the forest floor, while several thick limbs still hung half-snapped from the surrounding trees. A long trail of destruction cut through the canopy, as though something enormous had crashed straight through it without slowing down.
...
That was me.
I stared at the mess for a few moments before the memories slowly resurfaced.
The centipedes...
Black Carapace Guard...
The mountain...
Then the wind...
My shell had slammed into one tree after another before finally crashing down here.
"...Wait."
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I hit several trees with my shell.
Then why didn't Black Carapace Guard rebound?
I remained silent for a moment before the answer came to me.
...Because they weren't attacking me.
Black Carapace Guard only reflected direct attacks that failed to break through my shell.
Smashing into a tree because I couldn't control my body...
That was just a collision.
My attention shifted downward as I gently placed a foreleg on the ground.
...
Soft?
It didn't feel like ordinary soil.
Looking down, I found my shell resting on a thick layer of emerald-green moss that completely covered a fallen tree trunk. The dense moss had compressed beneath my weight, forming a surprisingly soft cushion.
As my gaze lingered on it, a familiar blue screen quietly appeared before my eyes.
The blue screen quietly faded from my vision.
...So that's what broke my fall.
Without that thick layer of moss cushioning the impact, the landing would've been much worse. I slowly stretched my remaining limbs before shifting my body slightly. A wave of soreness immediately spread through me, causing my movements to stiffen for a moment, but aside from the lingering pain from the collisions, everything responded normally.
...Looks like I got lucky.
Before I could dwell on it, another familiar blue screen rippled before my eyes.
Ding!
Another notification immediately followed.
[Skill Mastery Increased.]
Black Carapace Guard: +25%
Earth Sense: +17%
Mountain Crushing Bite: +13%
Qi Veil Art: +45%
I blinked.
"...Again?"
My attention immediately settled on the first notification as another blue screen quietly unfolded before my eyes.
Black Carapace Guard
Mastery: 25%
Effect: Withdraw limbs and circulate Beast Qi through the shell. Defense increases by +300. Direct attacks that fail to penetrate the shell cause part of their own force to rebound onto the attacker.
The corners of my mouth twitched.
...Three hundred?
I read the description again, making sure I hadn't misunderstood it. The effect had changed.
But why now?
Black Carapace Guard had gained mastery before, yet nothing like this had happened. This time, however, the increase hadn't only raised its mastery. The skill itself had become noticeably stronger.
My eyes shifted toward the remaining notifications. Earth Sense, Mountain Crushing Bite, and Qi Veil Art had all gained mastery as well, yet none of them displayed any obvious changes.
...Or perhaps they had.
I'd only know after using them.
I thought about it for a while, but no answer came to mind. In the end, I simply shook my head.
Standing here wasn't going to solve anything.
I tried taking a step forward, but the moment I shifted my weight, a dull soreness spread through my body. My movements immediately stiffened, forcing me to stop.
"...Still hurts."
My gaze slowly wandered ahead.
Not far away, I could make out a small pond reflecting the orange glow of the setting sun, while the outline of distant mountains rose beyond the endless sea of trees.
...So this is where I ended up.
Before I could admire the scenery any longer, a familiar sensation spread through the ground beneath my feet.
Earth Sense.
Once again, it activated on its own.
One Qi fluctuation... Two... Five... Ten...
More and more entered my perception until I stopped counting altogether.
My expression immediately became serious.
...Too many.
Remaining out in the open after sunset was practically asking to become another beast's dinner.
I quietly withdrew my Beast Qi and began searching for somewhere to hide.
I moved carefully through the forest, quietly changing direction whenever another Qi fluctuation entered my perception. None of them seemed to notice me, but I had no intention of testing my luck.
Before long, I found what I was looking for.
It wasn't a cave or a burrow, just a shallow hollow tucked beneath the thick roots of an ancient tree. Dense vines draped over the opening while patches of moss and fallen leaves blended it almost perfectly with the surrounding forest.
I waited for several breaths.
Earth Sense remained quiet.
Nothing entered its range.
...This should be enough.
As I squeezed myself beneath the roots, something brushed against my shell. I turned my head slightly and noticed strands of emerald-green moss still clinging to the grooves of my carapace. More stuck to it as I crawled deeper inside, covering parts of the dark patterns on my shell.
I paused for a moment before a faint smile appeared on my face.
...Not bad.
As long as the moss stayed there, my shell blended far better with the surrounding forest. Unless someone looked carefully, I'd be just another moss-covered rock lying beneath the trees.
Satisfied, I opened the Beast Pouch and took out another Stone Vein Herb.
I bit into it without hesitation.
The familiar earthy taste spread through my mouth as medicinal energy slowly flowed through my body. Beast Qi guided it along my meridians, gradually easing the soreness left behind by yesterday's battle.
At the same time, I quietly activated Qi Veil Art, allowing my presence to fade until even the Beast Qi leaking from my body became difficult to detect.
Only then did I slowly close my eyes.
The hollow was barely large enough to fit my shell. Thick roots formed a natural ceiling above me, while vines and moss concealed the entrance from the outside. It wasn't much, but for one night, it was enough.
I remained completely still beneath the tangled roots, allowing the herb to do its work while the forest gradually fell silent around me.
By the time the last traces of the herb's medicinal energy faded, the final rays of sunlight had disappeared beyond the horizon.
Darkness slowly swallowed the forest.
Before long, the silence gave way to distant howls. Deep growls echoed through the trees, followed by the occasional screech of birds taking flight. Every now and then, heavy footsteps caused the ground to tremble faintly before fading into the distance.
The forest had become far more active after nightfall.
Fortunately, none of those Qi fluctuations came anywhere near my hiding place.
I remained completely still beneath the tangled roots, letting the night pass in silence.
When the first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the vines, I slowly opened my eyes.
I didn't move immediately. Instead, I quietly circulated Beast Qi through my body once more.
The soreness hadn't completely disappeared, but it no longer hindered my movements.
Much better.
The trial wasn't going to complete itself.
I slowly crawled out from beneath the roots and looked around. For a brief moment, my gaze drifted toward the distant mountains where I'd been sent flying from.
Even from here, I could still make out the faint strand of Beast Qi the old skull had left behind. It had grown much dimmer after a night had passed, but it still drifted toward the cave, quietly showing the way back.
...Good.
At least I hadn't completely lost my way.
Taking one last glance at the faint strand of Beast Qi, I turned away and quietly disappeared into the forest.
Ahead lay an unfamiliar wilderness filled with powerful beasts, hidden dangers, and the Beast Cores I still needed to collect.
The trial... had only just begun.