The girl stared pale-faced at those vortexes.

“The capacity of the instance is limited, so they have to find a dumping ground; otherwise, so many trapped task-takers and monsters will burst the instance.” The old man stared at the sky, his gaze profound.

As soon as he finished speaking, the countless vortexes in the sky opened and closed, expelling many things.

These things fell straight down, disappearing from the sight of the two. Dense branches obstructed the front view, and a few hundred meters ahead was probably the Abyss. Unless one wanted to die, no one dared to approach the Abyss and witness the origin of this world.

But not seeing didn’t prevent the rise of fear.

Roars, howls, shrieks… various terrifying sounds continuously echoed. However, more terrifying than these were the sticky sounds of feeding.

Maggots burrowed into ears, gnawing at the flesh inside the ear canal against the eardrum – that was probably the kind of commotion.

Profound fear crawled from the girl’s eyes to her face. She quietly moved closer to the old man, clutching his robe, and struggled to swallow saliva. “Master, let’s leave quickly.”

“Don’t be afraid. When the instance is dumped, we’re the safest. The Abyss won’t overflow; they’re busy eating.” The old man patted the girl’s head affectionately, smiling warmly. “In this vast world, the biggest thing is eating.”

The girl was speechless. “Master, don’t make jokes at a time like this!”

“With your small courage, how can I rest assured letting you go into the instance alone?” The old man, with a concerned expression, observed the wet marks, shaking his head. “The Abyss’s activity range has expanded; this is not a good sign.”

Terrified, the girl asked, “Master, will the Abyss spread to the cities?”

“I don’t know.” The old man said with a worried tone, “That would be the worst outcome.”

The fear deepened in the girl’s eyes but quickly turned into anticipation and melancholy. “When that day comes, it might be a good thing for us.”

The old man remained silent, just sighing and patting his disciple’s head. When survival becomes more terrifying than death, witnessing the world’s destruction together seems like the best ending.

“Let’s go.” The old man said, intending to leave, but he still stood still.

“Master, what’s that?” The girl tugged at the old man’s robe, pointing to a more distant place.

A giant tree soared into the sky, piercing the clouds. Its black canopy spread in an arrogant manner. In that area, the vortexes in the sky became sparse, as if they feared the presence of this giant tree. It cast the densest shadow in the forest.

The old man turned to look, warning, “That’s the Skeleton Tree, no less dangerous than the Abyss. In the future, when you come alone, never get close to it.”

“The Skeleton Tree?” The girl pondered the name, her face full of confusion. “I didn’t see any skeletons on the tree!”

“It will be too late when you see them,” the old man warned sternly. “In dangerous dungeons, this master can save you. In other parts of this forest I  can still save you. But against the abyss and this tree, you cannot approach. Otherwise, even if immortals come, they won’t be able to save you!”

“I understand, master.” The girl hid behind the old man, muttering softly, “If I don’t go with the master, I’d rather die than come to this ghostly place!”

The old man gazed at the giant tree, fear gradually welling up in his unfathomable eyes.

A pink furry ball hid in the grass, spying.

The calls of the two large insects were peculiar, not chirps or squeaks, but a chattering sound. It’s something to learn in the future.

The pink furry ball lurked motionless in the shadows. The scent of the soil enveloped it.

Due to not having eaten for a long time, the frenetic itch burned in every cell. The pink furry ball, in the midst of hunting, didn’t want to leave the two prey. It quietly stretched its body and wrapped a dry leaf around its stomach.

What does a leaf taste like? It hasn’t eaten one before.

…yue~

The nauseating feeling hammered its head like a sledgehammer. It quickly spat out the dry leaf, its chubby body stiff and motionless, holding its breath.

Even when something disgusting upset its stomach, it adhered to the hunter’s basic rule—when weaker than the prey, always thoroughly hide!

“Who?” The girl suddenly turned around, whispering harshly.

The pink furry ball instantly froze.

The girl pulled the old man behind her with one hand and pulled out a wooden crossbow with the other, pointing it at the grass where the pink furry ball lurked.

The old man’s arm drooped, and from his sleeve silently slid out a demon-suppressing staff.

Discovered? The pink furry ball could hardly believe this fact! It shook its soft, pink flesh in frustration, ready to slip into the soil along the cracks. However, it heard a swift wind behind it.

A fist-sized corpse beetle suddenly leaped out of the bushes and pounced on the pink furry ball.

Squeak! Chirp!

The two archenemies instantly wrestled, tumbling out of the grass.

The girl: “It turns out to be poisonous insects.”

The old man’s eyes flashed slightly, shaking his head. “Neither of them is an ordinary poison insect. Capture them.”

The girl quickly pulled out a net and ran towards them.

However, she was still a step too slow. The corpse beetle seemed to have undergone some mutation, emitting a dark red glow. It was much larger than its counterparts, tearing and screaming while radiating terrifying toxicity and lethality.

In just a few moments, its sharp claws shredded the pink poisonous insect. Its tentacles swiftly moved, searching for the scattered fragments, eagerly wanting to devour all the prey’s flesh.

The pink poisonous insect only chirped once before falling into complete silence.

The battle started too quickly and ended unexpectedly.

The girl raised her gun, aiming at the corpse beetle, looking very tense.

Any species in this forest should not be underestimated, including a mere insect!