Gathering Husbands with a System in a Game Like World [BL]

The forest had gone completely silent.

No birds sang, no insects buzzed. Even the leaves had stopped rustling. The usual sounds of Emeraldwood had vanished as if someone had pressed mute on the entire terrain.

Kai remained crouched beside the enormous footprint pressed deeply into the damp earth. A red system window hovered in front of him, its was pulsing with emergency.

[Unknown Magical Beast]

[Estimated Threat Level: A-Rank]

[Warning: Immediate retreat is advised.]

His expression hardened. An A-Rank beast had no business being in Emeraldwood Forest. This area was supposed to be safe, a gathering spot for herbs and low-level materials. At worst, occasional D-Rank monsters wandered into the deeper parts. Something this powerful simply did not belong here. Even in the game it was literally never this way.

Darius stepped beside him, eyes fixed on the tracks.

”I’ve hunted for over twenty years. Never seen prints like these in this forest.”

Lucien’s brows knitted together.

”Could it have migrated from somewhere else?”

Darius slowly shook his head.

”No. Creatures this big don’t abandon their territory without a very good reason.”

A chill spread through the group. Even Felix, who had spent most of the journey making jokes, had gone completely quiet. The usual smirk on his face was gone.

Darius rose to his feet and looked at everyone.

”The expedition is over. We’re leaving. Now.”

Theo blinked in surprise.

”...Captain?”

”We’re leaving. The herbs aren’t worth your lives.”

No one objected. The decision was made.

The group turned to head back the way they had come. They had barely taken a few steps when Mira suddenly stopped.

”...Do you see that?”

Ahead of them, a thin white mist drifted between the trees. It hugged the ground at first, moving like slow water. Within seconds, more mist appeared. It came from behind trees, between rocks, and across the streams. It rolled toward them from every direction at once.

Theo frowned.

”I thought the forecast said clear weather today.”

Lucien’s face lost its color.

”...That’s not weather.”

Everyone turned toward him. The half-elf knelt and reached into the mist. A faint silver glow wrapped around his fingertips. When he pulled his hand back, tiny motes of mana floated around his skin.

”It’s saturated with mana. This isn’t natural.”

Darius didn’t waste time.

”Formation!”

Rogan immediately moved to the front beside the captain and raised his shield. Mira positioned herself behind them, an arrow already resting on her bowstring. Felix slipped into the trees along the left flank. Lucien kept his two apprentices close in the center. Kai stayed with them.

The mist continued spreading. Within moments the forest around them became little more than vague silhouettes. Visibility shrank to less than twenty meters. Kai quickly activated his Arcane Eye. The world shimmered for a second, then the image distorted violently.

[Warning: Unknown mana interference detected. Arcane Eye effectiveness reduced.]

Kai frowned.

”So even you can’t see through it...”

[Current visibility: 31%.]

That was bad. Very bad.

The group moved carefully through the fog. No one spoke above a whisper. Every snapped twig made Theo flinch. Every shifting shadow caused Mira to draw her bow a little tighter. Kai quietly scanned their surroundings despite the interference. Nothing. No movement. No magical signatures. Only endless white mist.

Then a branch snapped somewhere behind them. Everyone turned instantly. There was nothing there. The sound came again, this time from their left.

Felix cursed under his breath.

”It’s circling us.”

Everyone held thier breath.

Kai slowly clenched his fists beneath his cloak. The realization made his stomach tighten. Whatever lurked in the mist was not just strong. It was intelligent.

Felix glanced toward Darius.

”If we stay grouped like this, it’ll keep cornering us. I’m going ahead to scout.”

”No,” Darius answered immediately. ”We stay together.”

Felix shook his head.

”If we don’t know where it is, we’re already dead. I’ll only go a short distance.”

Before anyone could stop him, Felix disappeared into the mist.

”Felix!”

Mira called after him. No reply. Only silence.

Five seconds passed. Ten then Twenty.

Theo nervously gripped Lucien’s sleeve.

”Do you think he’s alright?”

No one answered.

Then a scream ripped through the forest.

”AAAAAHHHH!”

The sound was full of raw terror. It ended abruptly, as though something had cut it off.

Darius didn’t hesitate.

”Move!”

The entire group sprinted toward the sound. Branches whipped against their clothes as they pushed through the dense mist. Kai’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. Please let him be alive...

They burst into a small clearing and stopped cold.

Felix lay sprawled across the ground. His body was barely recognizable. Deep claw marks had torn through his leather armor like paper. One arm had been ripped completely from his body. Blood soaked the grass beneath him. His dagger rested several meters away, snapped cleanly in half. His eyes remained open, frozen in disbelief.

Theo staggered backward, covering his mouth. Lina let out a strangled gasp. Lucien immediately shielded both apprentices from the gruesome sight. Mira lowered her bow. Her hands trembled. Rogan’s face twisted with horror. Darius slowly knelt beside the body. He reached toward Felix’s neck, then closed the young man’s eyes.

”...He’s gone.”

Silence.

No one spoke. The cheerful rogue who had been joking with Kai only minutes earlier was dead.

Kai stared at the lifeless body. His chest felt heavy. This wasn’t the game. There was no respawn. No loading screen. No second chance. Death here was final.

A low rumble shook the earth. Darius’s head snapped upward.

”Formation!”

The order had barely left his mouth when the mist exploded. A colossal black shape burst from the white fog. It moved with terrifying speed. Rogan barely managed to step forward.

”Behind me!”

He slammed his tower shield into the ground. The impact came a heartbeat later. The collision sounded like a battering ram striking a castle gate. Rogan’s feet carved deep trenches through the earth as he was forced backward. Cracks spread across the surface of his shield.

”What...?”

He gritted his teeth.

”So strong!”

The creature pushed again. The enchanted shield shattered into dozens of pieces. The force hurled Rogan through the air. He crashed against a large tree with a sickening crack. The trunk splintered from the impact.

”Rogan!”

Mira fired three arrows in rapid succession. They vanished into the mist. A furious roar answered her. Then silence.

Kai caught only a glimpse of it. Black fur. Massive claws. Two scarlet eyes burning within the fog. That single glimpse made his blood run cold.

The system appeared. The blue window flashed red.

[Threat Reassessment Complete.]

[Target Identified: A-Rank Magical Beast]

[Warning: Host Survival Probability in Direct Combat: 0.8%]

Kai’s pupils contracted. An A-Rank beast. This made no sense. Emeraldwood Forest was monitored regularly by the Guild. There should never have been something this dangerous here.

Lucien whispered in disbelief.

”...This can’t be happening.”

Darius’s expression became grim. He had reached the same conclusion.

”This isn’t an escort mission anymore.”

He looked at every member of the expedition, then roared with every ounce of authority he possessed.

”RUN!”

No one argued. The formation broke apart instantly as the mist swallowed the forest. Within seconds the expedition that had entered Emeraldwood together was scattered in every direction.

Kai ran through the white fog, heart pounding. Heavy footsteps echoed somewhere behind him.