"Alright," Genduo said. "Let’s eat up and get back on the road."

The trees of the Wild Bird Forest were a dark purple, making them easy to spot. The group packed up their pots and pans and began to take a detour around it.

This time, Sean and Konina were walking at the back of the group.

His enthusiastic female neighbor was always trying to whisper secrets to him.

Sean was still carrying the torch, warding off the venomous insects and beasts that feared fire. What was different, however, was that for the past few nights, he hadn’t just been holding the torch. He was also using his Mental Power to try and control the flame, coordinating it with the movements of his hand. It looked as if he were toying with the fire, coaxing it into various shapes with his fingertips.

And even letters.

The firelight illuminated Konina’s face. Her eyes, soft as water, gazed at Sean. "Your fingers are so nimble. I want them."

Sean: "..."

’No way.’

"Don’t you feel the heat at all?" Konina asked.

She had tried it herself the night before when Sean was playing with the fire, suspecting it was fake. The result was a burn that made her cry out, almost pushing her to climax.

She really couldn’t understand why Sean wasn’t afraid of it, and she hadn’t seen him apply any special oil to his fingers, either.

Sean replied coolly, "If you could figure it out, would it still be called Magic?"

"Alright, then let me ask a different question." Konina went for a direct hit. "Why don’t you like me?"

Her tone carried a hint of resentment, and she sounded a little hurt.

Over the past few days, she had tried no small number of ways to sneak into Sean’s tent, but without exception, she was always chased out by him. One time, she even dressed up as a bunny girl in fishnet stockings, but Sean only praised how white her outfit was and then said nothing more. It was making her start to doubt her own Charm.

Sean was also quite puzzled. "We don’t have any grudge against each other, so why should I like you?"

Konina: "Because I’m slutty."

Sean: "?"

"Don’t all men like slutty girls?" Konina asked.

Sean had no answer for that, since he couldn’t speak for all men.

"Don’t tell me you don’t like women either," Konina said, glancing at Genduo up ahead.

"Congratulations, you got it right," Sean said, but his mind flashed to the Flame Crow Maiden who had saved his life. ’When will I get to see her again?’

Sean hadn’t dreamed for the past few nights and still hadn’t figured out what the Void Technique Space was. But he wasn’t in a hurry. There were more pressing matters to worry about—he looked up at the night sky. The crescent moon was cold and hazy, and for a moment, a dark shadow flitted past.

He was sure it wasn’t a trick of the light or his eyes playing tricks on him. Something was following them.

After a few more sentences of small talk, Sean stopped paying attention to Konina and focused on playing with the torch, practicing his "Magic."

The atmosphere of the whole group was quiet. It was best not to make a sound when moving through the jungle at night. Even conversation had to be kept to a whisper, or they might not hear any unusual noises around them and fail to react to an attack in time.

Genduo, walking at the very front of the group, was especially cautious. Before each step, he would first test the ground by tapping and poking with a branch in his hand.

But the unexpected still happened.

"SKREEE!"

Without any warning, a bird cry that sounded like a red-tailed hawk’s suddenly rang out in everyone’s ears.

It was extremely close, and caught off guard, the sharp sound made several people’s eardrums ache.

Genduo’s expression changed. "Young Eagle Birds?!"

"Dammit, why are they here?" Wilson cursed. He had also recognized the sound. But they had clearly detoured around the Wild Bird Forest, so why were they still running into Young Eagle Birds?

Another hawk-like cry, and a Young Eagle Bird burst out from the darkness, letting out a hoarse shriek, giving the group no time to prepare.

"Get down!" Genduo roared.

Seeing the dark shadow fly toward her, Jenny was so scared she forgot to even scream for help. Luckily, Johnson reacted quickly and tackled her to the ground. At the same time—

"BANG!"

Jim, holding a shotgun, had fired.

Young Eagle Birds bully the weak and fear the strong. They had to make an example of one immediately, or the consequences would be dire.

Jim was an old Hunter who had been a mercenary and served on the battlefield. One of the reasons he’d transitioned to being a man was because his marksmanship was too good, and he was a bit rough around the edges; no one liked a crass woman. Men, on the other hand, always had a strange competitive streak, which had made him very unpopular back then, as his shooting skills often left them feeling completely inadequate.

And yet, he had missed this shot.

It was nighttime, and visibility was already low. The Young Eagle Birds were also incredibly fast. Unless one was charging straight at you, it was nearly impossible for the human eye to track their movements.

After the gunshot, even more Young Eagle Birds cried out, sounding just like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey.

There were at least a dozen of them.

The sudden attack threw the group into disarray. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Genduo forced himself to stay calm and shouted, "Find a tree trunk and get down! Protect your vital spots!"

The Young Eagle Birds weren’t venomous. As long as you weren’t stabbed in a vital area by their sharp beaks, you wouldn’t die.

The bigger problem was how to fight off these wild birds.

"Maybe we should just run..." Jenny said fearfully, scrambling to her feet and hiding behind Johnson.

"We can’t run!" Wilson immediately shot back.

Running is a sign of weakness. The moment they turned tail and exposed their backs, they would be facing an endless swarm of Young Eagle Birds within ten seconds. Then there would truly be no escape.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

The gunshots rang out continuously, but to little effect.

Out of more than a dozen Young Eagle Birds, only two or three were shot down, which wasn’t nearly enough to intimidate the rest of the flock.

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

"Son of a bitch, these damn birds can even form up!" Wilson had been about to take a couple more shots when he saw several Young Eagle Birds line up in a row. Their hard wings, pressed together, glinted coldly in the moonlight like a horizontal guillotine. They easily sliced through the branches in their path as they "chopped" toward him, nearly taking his head off the moment he peeked out.