As I stepped deeper into the woods, a tiny feeling of security disappeared.

With those plant-type monsters, I knew they wouldn’t attack without specific conditions. The black vines wrapped around trees weren’t exactly an intelligent species, they acted entirely based on instinct. That made them easy to predict and easier to avoid.

Other monsters, especially biological monsters, are far more difficult to deal with.

At least, that my theory for why I felt less secure as I stepped deeper into the woods and the black vines around me slowly vanished.

I didn’t have much confidence in surviving deep in the woods. That hadn’t been part of the plan. I’d only planned on circling around in the outskirts and finding a decent place to rest for a period of time.

In the distance, roars of various monsters could be heard. There were ten to twenty monkeys hanging onto the trees.

“Monkeys?” I mumbled as I watched them.

The monkeys were gesturing toward the ground in my direction, but they didn’t seem aggressive.

“I don’t suppose you saw a young boy-“ I began to talk, gesturing with Leon’s approximate height, “- around this tall pass-through here?”

The monkeys ignored my words, instead they began howling and beating their chests aggressively.

… Can monkey’s normally howl? Or are these a mutated breed or something?

“Shut it.” I spoke over their howls, and continued following the trail forward.

Some monkeys stopped their aggressive howling, whilst other monkeys began to make even louder noises.

Even after walking a short distance, there were still monkeys making a racket in the trees above. In fact, a quick glance revealed that the monkeys were following after me in the trees above.

Staring at them, I began to feel a headache.

Their howling noise was extremely annoying, and would attract other predators that I really didn’t want to deal with.

“Are you deaf?” I asked the monkeys above, whilst readying God-hunter for a fight. When they still continued to howl, I yelled at them. “SHUT UP!”

This time the entire troop (group?) of monkeys became quiet. Then, suddenly, the monkeys began hopping away through trees. Watching them leave, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally peace and quiet.

Hissss…

I heard a dull snake-like hissing sound from behind. Gently turning my head in the direction of the hiss, I found its source.

A snake several meters width, and far larger than that in width, that was hissing furiously in my direction. To provide a decent comparison, in length, the cobra was approximately the size of four to five people lined up.

Looking upward toward the hissing mouth of the cobra, I laughed awkwardly.

Cobras, for those who might not know, are the kind of snake you’d typically see snake tamers play around with. Some types are known for spitting venom.

Even when small, they certainly weren’t easy to deal with due to their venom… and this one definitely wasn’t small.

“Don’t suppose you can just ignore me?” I asked without much hope, the animals and monsters here seemed to have an understanding of human language.

Hiiissssss~ The cobra released a long, sharp hiss in response. Intuitively, I knew the answer had been a definite refusal.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I laughed, and prepared to dodge with God-hunter in hand. “Bring it on then.”

The gigantic cobra struck toward me with rapid speed, its jaw open and sharp teeth visible.

Barely dodging the strike, I struck toward the cobra’s venerable head.

God-hunter plunged into its eye and stabbed into its brain.

Instead of waiting around for it to recover, I repeatedly stabbed God-hunter into the snake’s head causing to the collapse on the forest floor.

Glancing down at the dead collapsed body of the cobra on the dirt with anxiety. My anxious resulting from the strange process of killing it.

That was strangely easy.

The gigantic cobra was actually slower and, with its size, far easier to hit than normal snakes, (although my definition of normal is probably different from other people).

Regardless, I was expecting a more difficult fight. The fight being too easy is not something I’m going to complain about, though.

Boom...

A loud explosive noise sounded in the distance… and from the direction Leon was heading.

I need to hurry up. There’s no time to waste around.

Rushing toward the explosive sound, I found an opening clearing and heard voices of people talking within it.

Crouching down behind bushes, I recognized Leon’s voice. Leon spoke with a voice filled with anger, “Shut up. Idiotic bastard.”

Before vaguely saw him tossed to the ground through the bushes.

An unfamiliar male voice spoke, “Actually, you shouldn’t be here at all. Before I arrived, this illusionary universe should’ve been completely unconnected to the void... Yet, you’ve clearly been here for awhile.”

Through the bushes, I could barely make out that Leon’s face dripped with blood. Clearly Leon had been overpowered by man.

“Something, or someone, has connected this place to the void.” The man’s voice added, yet somehow the voice began to feel familiar. “…Where’d you get this weapon of power?”

My eyes flashed with relief and frustration.

That means Leon did actually take my spear. Although this other man is a complication in the process of retrieving it, at least this isn’t a wild goose chase.

Regardless, I’d clearly gotten involved in something dangerous. If they’re talking about this place being an illusionary universe, I need to raise their danger level several times.

Leon’s voice was filled with a deep hatred, “None of your business. Why would I ever let you hurt someone else?”

Someone else? The man’s hurt someone before?

The man spoke casually, “Hey, let’s be clear here. I would’ve preferred to leave your parents alone, they got involved first. I was barely involved in their deaths.”

Hearing his words, something instinctively informed me that shouldn’t be here... but, even so, I couldn't simply leave.

I needed that spear.

POV Swap – 3^rd person

[Rewind: Several minutes earlier…]

Light shone through the leaves of the trees. A cold wind passed through the forest, roars of beasts could be heard in the distance. Monkeys jumped through the branches of the trees, swiftly passing around an open clearing with a gigantic boulder.

Inside the clearing a solitary man with golden snake-like eyes sat atop that boulder, his eyes jolting between the monkeys flying past. The man wore a dark cloak and coat with black legging. A black shield eluding a dangerous aura wrapped around his right wrist.

The bodies of several dead wolves surrounded the boulder around them. Each of the wolves' bodies with wildly differing wounds and causes of death.

“Noisy.” The man frowned at the roars from the surrounding forest and impatiently his fingers tapped on the rocked beside him. “What’s taking so long? Are you sure that this is the right place?”

The only response the man received was a cold breeze blowing through the open clearing.

This was to be expected, though, the man was completely alone in the clearing. His only company was the beasts in the forest around him.

“Why here, though?” The man asked with mutter, staring at the forest surrounding them. “Traveling back here wasn’t easy, you know? I deserve some answers.”

The man took out a dagger with green scales providing a sharp edge, along with a shining golden metal spine and twirled it around.

“How can you not know?! God-hunter, do you know how difficult it was to get here?” The man’s mouth twitched in annoyance, and he sliced up a portion of the boulder beneath him with the dagger and flicked it into the distance. “I should be with Rin, instead of wasting time here.”

The causally thrown rock broke through the sound barrier causing a loud popping sound. The rock speeding into the distance slamming into several trees created small holes through them before hitting the ground.

A cloud of dust arose in the distance and a five-meter tall bear behind the trees just beyond the clearing collapsed, completely dead. Killed by the stone that had decided its brain was an exciting place to travel through.

“Illusionary universes are too boring. The monsters here cannot even cause a scratch anymore.” The man snorted whilst glancing at the wolves dead bodies beside the boulder he sat upon.

Soon afterward, perhaps from hearing the sonic boom, a young teenager brown-haired appeared carrying a long pole wrapped in thin cloth and stepped into the clearing.

The teenager glanced at the man sitting atop the clearing with confusion, then anger.

“Well, isn’t that interesting.” The golden-eyed man stared down at the teenager below. “Fancy seeing you here, Leonardo.”

Leonardo gritted his teeth and backed up, “How’d you find me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Acolyte of the void beast.” The golden-eyed man chuckled and jumped down from the rock.

Leonardo stated pleading his case whilst simultaneously preparing to escape. “This universe isn’t a chain. We wouldn’t harm it, or the residents within it.”

The golden-eyed man laughed and leaned against the rock behind him, “If you don’t care about it, why exactly are you here?”

Leonardo growled out and held out the pole covered in cloth toward him, “Do you think I’m afraid of you, Tobias Paradox?”

“In the main universe? No.” Tobias laughed, “Here, though? I wouldn’t mind taking my chances.”

Growling in anger, Leonardo stepped forward and tossed the pole covered with cloth toward him. The cloth covering the long object disappeared mid-flight revealing a beautiful black spear.

Tobias dodged and let it sink into the boulder behind him. Before he chuckled, “Hurling a weapon at an enemy merely because you can perceive danger from it isn’t exactly the smartest plan.”

“Bastard. I’ll kill you.” Leonardo muttered before falling silent and backing up further toward the edge of the clearing.

Tendrils of blackness drew out from the spear stuck into the boulder. They shot toward Tobias, attempting to catch him off guard.

Tobias disappeared, teleporting forward before the tendrils could reach him. He reappeared beside Leonardo and promptly grasped Leonardo by the collar.

“Tendrils of the void that consumes.” Tobias stated, briefly glancing at the tendrils of blackness, before turning back toward Leonardo with an interested gaze. He picked him up by the collar, “You shouldn’t be able to do that here...”

Leonardo snapped out of his silence and began hurling insults, “Shut up. Idiotic bastard.”

“Actually, you shouldn’t be here at all. Before I arrived, this illusionary universe should’ve been completely unconnected to the void... Yet, you’ve clearly been here for awhile.” Tobias ignored him and continued theorizing, throwing the teenager to the ground, before looking around, “Something, or someone, has connected this place to the void.”

Leonardo, who had been thrown headfirst into the dirt, received several scratches causing blood to drip down his face. Although he hadn’t been thrown strongly, the teenager was physically frail and easily injured.

Tobias’ eyes locked onto the spear. “Where’d you get this weapon of power?”

“None of your business.” Leonardo’s gaze was filled with rage and he spat out, “Why would I ever let you hurt someone else?”

“Hey, let’s be clear here. I would’ve preferred to leave your parents alone, they got involved first.” Tobias shrugged, “I was barely involved in their deaths.”

Leonardo sarcastically questioned him, “Rendering them completely helpless to incoming attacks counts as barely involved?”

“Grow up, Leonardo.” Tobias remarked without compassion, “When someone is trying to destroy the universe, other people will try and stop them. That’s just a fact of life. Don’t get further involved with a insane cult because of petty revenge.”

“You’re the insane one.” Leonardo stated, “The void beast is a ticking time bomb, it’s better to let the current universe be destroy. A new universe shall be born anew from the ashes without the beast’s influence. The void beast desires freedom only.”

Tobias merely shook his head in disapproval, “Don’t joke around… your pretentiously words are merely that. They sound good on paper, but use some brain cells. Even if you’re right, the void beast was chained to the universe for a reason.”

“Mere speculation.” Leonardo dismissed his words, clearly unconvinced by his reasoning.

“You’re entire cult is based on speculation.” Tobias stated rolling his eyes, before speaking louder than normal. “So… does the girl in the bushes eavesdropping on our conversation want to step out anytime soon?”