Anxiously running through the dense jungle, Aurel stayed on high alert, his eyes darting around. He would not be caught wanting a second time.

  Within minutes, he was back at the spot where he had harvested those herbs. He didn't dare look around and shot past the area, following the faint trail those intruders left behind.

  But the farther he ran, the more precious herbs he spotted. Bitterness and a sense of profound loss burned in his heart. Herbs like these could not be found just anywhere!

  'No matter. I'll be back for it.'

  Aurel thought bitterly, his teeth clenched in frustration. The surrounding jungle was thick with overgrowth, the carved path barely visible. But with his arsenal of movement techniques, carving out a path for himself was child's play.

  He dared not cut through any of the overgrowth for fear of stirring another plant abomination. Aurel spent several more minutes on his speedy movements, carefully following the faint trace of the truck's path before spotting a less dense area ahead of him.

  'Finally.'

  Aurel flashed a small smile seeing this. He was almost out of the jungle part of the forest. Light from the sun shone through the canopy of trees, bathing the forest floor in its warm essence.

  Additionally, he picked up the distant sounds of various creatures that had been missing since he stepped into the expansive jungle. Birds sang high up in the trees, and insects chirped away. Aurel could also hear the cry of the native beasts.

  Within minutes, he crossed the invisible threshold. And the instant he did, he felt a change in the surrounding air. Aurel came to a sliding stop, turning around to face the dense jungle. His brow furrowed in thought.

  "So there is something eerie about this part of the forest. No wonder no creatures dared live there."

  From what he had experienced, the jungle part of the forest was alive. With no predators roaming it, those herbs grew in abundance. But Aurel was not entirely convinced. As eerie as the jungle was, it wasn't that particularly dangerous.

  Unless overly disturbed, the jungle might not react. So while dangerous, it was conditional. Those intruders must have known that.

  "It might also be why Sebastian brought my capsule here. But which came first?"

  There was no point mulling over the why. The journal would probably have the answers he sought. Bringing his thoughts to a close, Aurel turned around to leave. He barely took two steps forward when danger clawed at his instincts.

  Aurel's expression darkened as he wasted no time pondering. He leapt backwards without hesitation. Right on cue, the spot he had stood moments prior erupted with a vicious screech.

  'So the dangers don't come from just the eerie jungle.'

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  Landing with a slide, Aurel's right hand disappeared into his jacket as he pulled out one of his Desert Eagles. From the leaf-littered ground came a creature Aurel had never seen before.

  The creature looked like a massive mole, its size rivalling a lion. The mole monster looked to be made of earth itself, ragged and cracked. With a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth and claws capable of tearing apart steel, the creature was a nightmare.

  Then came a foul stench that made Aurel scrunch his nose in disgust. The creature leapt at him the moment it missed its surprise attack, and it was incredibly fast, covering several meters in an instant.

  But it was not fast enough.

  Aurel pointed his weapon at the disturbing creature and fired a single, precise shot. Almost instantly, a hole the size of a tennis ball appeared in the creature's head. Just like that, Aurel ended the creature's life.

  Unfortunately for him, that was just the beginning. No sooner had the creature fallen than the ground beneath his feet rumbled.

  'Shit.'

  Aurel needed no reminders. The mole creature he had killed had been just one of many. Multiple areas ahead of him swelled with activity. More mole-like monsters were coming for him!

  Swiftly regaining his bearing, he found the faint marks of a vehicle's path and shot forward, his speed generating a gust that roughly displaced the leaf litter. Behind him, the loud screeching of the mole-like monsters echoed.

  Aurel ran at breakneck speed, zooming past tree after tree, leaping over roots after roots. He dared not slow down, lest he get himself surrounded. As the distant screeching of the mole monsters died down, the unmistakable howls of wolves resounded around him.

  Looking to his left, Aurel spotted three massive, black wolves several meters from him. They were as large as horses, and almost matched him for speed. Their eyes gleamed with a predatory light, their maws filled with fangs that promised excruciating pain.

  To his right, two more wolves closed in. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted two more. He seemed to have stumbled into their territory, attracting their ire. Several tens of meters ahead of him, he caught sight of a more massive wolf coming straight at him.

  'Must be the alpha.' Aurel quickly deduced with a sharp snort. 'Do these mutts really think I'm that easy to deal with?!'

  Putting his gun away, Aurel exploded with greater speed toward the incoming alpha. Dealing with these mutts would cost him almost nothing. From what he sensed from their aura, the wolves were around the third stage of power, the alpha at the peak of that stage.

  They were powerful, and anyone who found themselves facing one of these creatures might wet themselves in fear. But they were easy to deal with. Anyone with a magic firearm and sufficient distance would have no problem killing one, provided the wolves did not run around. For Aurel, however, his fists were more than enough.

  Getting within the attacking range, the alpha wolf lunged at Aurel with its maw wide open, drool leaking from its snout. Concurrently, Aurel shot off the ground with a muffled boom, his fist clenched tightly.

  The alpha's maws were wide enough to cleanly bite his head off. But none of it mattered to him. His hand shot forward like a missile, breaking the sound barrier with absolute ease.

  An explosive boom, visible to the eye, ripped through the dense forest as Aurel's punch connected with the alpha's snout, shattering the beast's head. The alpha died right there, and then, its body sent flying into a tree's trunk.

  Aurel spun around as he landed on the uneven ground, his feet digging through the soft soil. His momentum came to a halt, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. As though the wolves had not just witnessed the death of their leader, they recklessly lunged at Aurel.

  'At the very least, I can let off some steam.'

  After nearly losing his life, Aurel burned with unresolved frustration. With a vicious smirk, Aurel charged into the mess of feral beasts with nothing but his fists.