Chapter 194 - 189: The Silverwood Expedition
The next morning, John found Darius already waiting at breakfast.
That alone told him something was wrong.
Darius normally preferred reading in silence before speaking to anyone.
Today, however, he had three maps spread across the table.
John sat down.
"You look serious."
"I am."
Lythriel arrived behind John.
"That usually means trouble."
Darius pointed at the maps.
"I spent most of yesterday comparing the guild’s records."
John leaned forward.
"What did you find?"
"The Silverwood isn’t simply unexplored."
He tapped one of the maps.
"Parts of it were mapped decades ago."
John frowned.
"Then why does the guild call it an expedition into an unmapped region?"
"Because the old maps are no longer accurate."
Darius moved another map beside it.
"Several trails have disappeared."
"Some rivers changed course."
"And monster territories are completely different."
Sylvara sat down.
"How different?"
Darius looked at her.
"Enough that the guild considers the old information unreliable."
John studied the maps.
"So something changed the forest."
"That’s what we’re going to find out."
Lythriel looked at John.
"You want to go."
John didn’t answer immediately.
He looked at the maps again.
The Silverwood wasn’t some mysterious ancient ruin.
It was simply a massive forest that had become difficult to navigate.
That actually interested him.
"I do."
Lythriel smiled.
"I knew it."
---
They went to the guild after breakfast.
The expedition registration desk was already busy.
Several adventurer parties had gathered.
Some were experienced.
Others looked like they were trying something far beyond their abilities.
John quietly observed them.
One party had five members.
A heavily armored warrior.
A mage.
Two archers.
And a healer.
Another consisted of three beastkin.
A large group was arguing over supplies.
The atmosphere was different from an ordinary quest.
This wasn’t a simple monster hunt.
It was an expedition.
People expected to spend days away from the city.
The guild receptionist handed them a document.
"Before you register, understand that the Silverwood expedition is considered a regional exploration operation."
Darius nodded.
"We understand."
"Your group will be responsible for its own food, medical supplies, and equipment."
"Understood."
"You’re also expected to report any unusual monster behavior."
John looked at her.
"Anything specific?"
The receptionist shook her head.
"Nothing confirmed."
She lowered her voice.
"That’s the problem."
John nodded.
"We’ll report what we find."
She smiled.
"Good luck."
---
Outside the guild, they prepared one final time.
Aerion checked his equipment.
Sylvara inspected her herbs.
Darius secured the maps.
Lythriel adjusted her pack.
John looked toward the city gate.
"Ready?"
Everyone nodded.
The journey had begun.
---
The road north was busy at first.
Several other expedition groups traveled in the same direction.
Some were merchants.
Others were adventurers.
John noticed that many of them seemed familiar with each other.
The Silverwood was apparently a popular destination despite its dangers.
After several hours, however, the number of travelers decreased.
The landscape changed.
Grasslands gave way to trees.
The first trees of the Silverwood appeared in the distance.
They were enormous.
Their trunks were thicker than houses.
Their branches stretched across the sky.
Even from outside the forest, John could feel the difference.
The mana density was higher.
Not overwhelmingly so.
But noticeable.
John stopped.
"This forest has a lot of mana."
Darius nodded.
"That’s one reason so many unusual creatures live here."
John looked deeper into the trees.
"And why monsters are stronger."
"Some are."
Lythriel looked toward him.
"Are you worried?"
John smiled.
"No."
"Excited?"
"Maybe."
She laughed.
"Of course."
---
The expedition groups separated once they reached the forest entrance.
Some went east.
Others west.
John’s group followed the route assigned by the guild.
Their first objective was simple.
Reach an old ranger station several miles inside the forest.
If it was still standing, they would use it as a temporary base.
The journey began peacefully.
Birds flew overhead.
Small animals moved through the bushes.
The forest was quiet.
Almost too quiet.
John noticed it first.
"There aren’t many insects."
Darius looked around.
"You’re right."
Sylvara frowned.
"That’s strange."
"What does it mean?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing good."
They continued.
Then the Soul Raven flew down.
It landed on John’s shoulder.
The bird stared toward the trees.
John looked in the same direction.
"What?"
The raven didn’t move.
John’s senses expanded slightly.
He felt something.
Not a monster.
Something else.
A strange absence.
Like an area where the natural mana had been disturbed.
John pointed.
"That way."
Darius looked at the map.
"There’s supposed to be a stream there."
They approached.
The stream was gone.
Not dried up.
Gone.
The ground was damp, but there was no water flowing through it.
Darius checked his map again.
"That’s impossible."
John crouched.
He touched the soil.
It was cold.
Much colder than the surrounding ground.
Sylvara knelt beside him.
"Something passed through here."
"Monster?"
"Maybe."
She touched the soil.
"Recently."
John stood.
"How recently?"
"Within a few days."
Darius frowned.
"The map says this stream has existed for centuries."
John looked at the forest.
"Then something changed it."
---
They continued cautiously.
About an hour later, they found the first sign of monsters.
Three trees had deep claw marks.
Aerion examined them.
"Large creature."
"How large?"
"At least three meters."
John studied the marks.
"Bear?"
"No."
Aerion shook his head.
"Too deep."
Darius looked at the surrounding trees.
"Could be a forest beast."
John touched one of the marks.
The wood was freshly damaged.
"Whatever made this is nearby."
Everyone became alert.
Lythriel quietly drew her weapon.
The forest became silent.
John waited.
Nothing.
Then—
A branch snapped.
Everyone turned.
Something moved between the trees.
Fast.
John barely saw it.
"Left!"
Aerion raised his weapon.
A large creature burst from the bushes.
It looked like a wolf.
But much larger.
Its fur was dark brown.
Its shoulders were nearly as high as John’s chest.
Its eyes were pale yellow.
It snarled.
Lythriel attacked first.
Her strike forced the creature sideways.
Aerion moved in from the opposite direction.
The beast reacted quickly.
It twisted around his attack.
John watched.
Fast.
Strong.
But not overwhelming.
The creature lunged toward Sylvara.
John moved.
He caught its jaws with one hand.
The impact pushed him backward several meters.
His boots dug into the soil.
The beast struggled.
John looked into its eyes.
"You’re stronger than you look."
He pushed.
The creature was thrown sideways.
It crashed through a bush.
Lythriel immediately followed.
One strike.
The creature collapsed.
Silence returned.
John looked at the dead monster.
Darius approached.
"What is it?"
"Not sure."
He examined the body.
"It’s a forest wolf."
John frowned.
"That big?"
"No."
Darius pointed at its claws.
"This species shouldn’t grow this large."
John looked at the creature again.
"Mana?"
"Possibly."
Sylvara inspected it.
"There’s something else."
"What?"
She pointed at the creature’s neck.
A strange black mark was visible beneath the fur.
John crouched.
The mark wasn’t a wound.
It looked almost like a burn.
He touched it.
The moment his finger came close—
The mark disappeared.
John froze.
"Did you see that?"
Everyone stared.
The black mark was gone.
Darius’s expression became serious.
"Yes."
John looked at his hand.
Nothing.
No reaction.
No pain.
Just a faint feeling of cold.
Lythriel noticed his expression.
"John?"
"I’m fine."
He stood.
"But we should keep moving."
Darius looked toward the deeper forest.
"I agree."
---
They continued toward the ranger station.
Nobody spoke much.
The discovery had changed the atmosphere.
The Silverwood wasn’t simply experiencing normal monster migration.
Something was affecting the creatures.
But John wasn’t going to jump to conclusions.
They needed evidence.
They needed information.
And most importantly...
They needed to understand what they were dealing with before making assumptions.
As the sun began to set, the trees ahead finally opened.
An old wooden structure appeared between them.
The ranger station.
It was still standing.
Barely.
John looked at it.
"Looks like we found our shelter."
Darius nodded.
"For tonight."
The Soul Raven suddenly flew upward.
John watched it circle above the trees.
Then it abruptly turned toward the west.
The bird gave a low cry.
John’s expression changed.
"What did you see?"
The raven returned.
It landed on the roof of the ranger station.
Then stared toward the forest.
John followed its gaze.
Nothing moved.
But somewhere deep within the Silverwood...
Something howled.
It wasn’t the sound of a wolf.
It was deeper.
Larger.
And far enough away that the sound echoed between the trees.
Lythriel slowly tightened her grip on her weapon.
"That wasn’t the creature we fought."
John smiled slightly.
"No."
He looked into the darkness.
"Definitely not."
For the first time since entering the Silverwood...
John felt genuinely excited.
Not because he be danger.
But because they had finally found something worth investigating.
And tomorrow...
They would begin.
---
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