Chapter 288: Lost in the Woods

To reach the shore of the island, Ned had to tread forests and streams. All these he must be wary of creatures looming under the shadows.

He wasn't supposed to be here, at the Inner part of the island, where strong beast fighting for survival and defending territories.

Along the way, Ned encountered beasts in a group not less than a couple of dozen. They seemed to be marching in one direction—to the base of the mountain.

Supposedly, mountains going active were left out. But it seemed that it was quite the opposite. Instead, beasts were marching toward the mountain.

It would be impossible for S'vokalt to gather them since the last thing Ned knew was that she was flooded with lava along with thousands of her minions. But it was also possible that the chained Mother was alive.

"No, no." Ned puffed air after he climbed a tree to avoid another tribe of Butrikis. "She was alive, that's for sure. Petty lava can't kill a beast locked with hundreds of chains. To top it all, she was even secured with an Imprisonment Array."

The only light Ned had was from the faint glow of moonlight. Even if that was the case, he was surprised that his vision could make out a worm-like beast burrowing in a swamp, nearly a hundred meters away from him.

Ned cannot casually produce the two mana crystals (one that attracts the broken Butterfly, the other one they got when they swam underwater) he has inside his inventory. Doing so might attract the attention of a highly sensitive magical beast.

Still, his keen senses and the faint light from the moon were enough.

As he left the Hive, Ned captured different noises from different directions: screeching from his right, while humming from his left, and behind him was roaring of beasts—a more reason not to go back anymore. He went forward.

After a couple of hours, with attentive evasions and fleeing, Ned arrives at the shore of the island.

From there, the light from the moonlight was even intense. So much that he could see flakes of ashes resting over his shoulders.

Ned patted both his shoulders and his hair, getting rid of the ashes.

Ned looked back to the cap of the mountain Du'kki. It wasn't resembling a cone but a flat one. Traces of smoke were fading above it. Still, it was premature to say that it was full bloom active. It might not erupt and would stay like that for hundreds of years. But even so, it would pay off if one would take action to stop the mountain from erupting.

There could be mages that turn calm weather into a brewing storm, perhaps, they could stop the volcano from erupting so soon.

"You!"

Ned was lost in his thoughts that he could barely make out a noise coming far from his right.

They were Hunters.

Ned reviewed the map from the back of his head. Currently, he was between the shores of the Inner and Middle parts.

Then that means, there will be Hunters roaming this side of the island.

What a coincidence Ned encountered. A coincidence he badly needed right now.

Ned thought that to leave the island, he needed someone to justify that he was lost in the woods after his wrong turn.

He saw the Hunters marching towards him.

"W-where you Hunters?"

Ned had to faint ignorance. Inside his thoughts, he was grinning from his childish voice.

The Hunters stopped before Ned. A Gold, three Silver, and two Bronze necklaces shining under the moon.

Judging from the weapons they were carrying, this team wasn't just made up on the go. They were professional Hunters.

The man with the Gold necklace carried a silver sword and was shining from a faint light. He held on his right, unsheathed and ready for anything. The three Silver Hunters, all-male in their twenties, carry a bow with daggers hanging their waist. While the two female Bronze rank was clamped in the middle of the party carrying nothing but a spear and a staff.

Seems odd for a party of the hunting team. They do not have a knight that tanks them. But who could tell, the Gold one was a warrior.

He was in his late thirties with brows wrinkled towards Ned.

The team overall was looking suspicious, but not to Ned, but to the surroundings around them.

"You, a kid?" The Gold Rank Hunter seemed to be satisfied from the tone of his voice. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I-I." Ned must come up with a good excuse as to why a kid, alone, was lost in the woods.

"Whose team were you on?"

The Silver Rank Hunter slung his bow after he judged the place to be safe. He then whispered something to the Gold Rank Hunter which Ned heard as 'safe, for now'. Gaining knitted brows from Ned.

The Gold Rank Hunter sheathed his sword back to his scabbard which prompted the rest, except for the one Silver Rank Hunter.

The remaining Silver Rank Hunter left the group and stopped a good meters apart and stood, guarding the rest of the team.

Ned did not hesitate to inform them that he was from the Hallowguard team, and was lost in the woods after a tribe of Butriki ambushed them. He added that he was hiding in the woods, and from time to time, walking near the shore to check if Hunters made it far this part of the island.

It seemed plausible, since Ned was indeed from the Hallowguard team, was looking lost in the woods with his Silk Road modified to look old and ragged, and they saw him walking along the shores.

"Hallowguard? Never heard of it."

The Gold Rank Hunter nodded and welcomed Ned to their team called Cal Cadot ( a name they took from a famous Diamond Rank Explorer from the past).

According to Iou, the Gold Rank Hunter, they weren't a Hunting Party nor Raiding team. They were a surveying team and took a Quest from the Hunter's Guild that was tasking them to monitor the current surroundings of the Du'kki Island. The Association was worried that after the mountain shows signs of activity two weeks ago, magical creatures were moving closer to the mountain.

"It seemed that the only reason you survived and lived long enough in the woods is that magical creatures were moving toward the mountain and ignored everyone else."

But Ned frowned from Iou's information. If Hunter's Association was busy handling Quest to the Hunters, then what about Hunter's Exam.

"Will it be moved?"

"How long were you lost in the woods?"

"A-ahm." Ned sat down on the sand, giving the team a fake impression of him being tired. "A week? Or two?"

The Gold and the two Silver Rank Hunter cocked an eyebrow.

"Two weeks?"

"That's long enough. It's either you are so lucky or good at escaping that you never encountered beasts."

"I-I." Ned scratched his cheek, looking innocent as possible. He bit his lips and whispered, "My father used to say I'm his lucky charm."

Ned was given a waterskin and a pair of bread. After he ate the pair of bread in one gulp. Iou explained that the Hunter Exam was moved a week from now instead of four, because of the activity the Du'kki mountain was showing.

This is all because of me activating the Array, Ned thought as he watched the team talking to each other.

Who would have thought that after Ned activated the Array, lava would flood the dome?

Cal Cadot moved back to the path where they came from.

"Where are you going?" Ned followed the team and tried to act scared.

"We'll drop you off the Hunter's port."

Iou unsheathed his sword and led the party while Ned was secured in the middle of the team together with the two Bronze Rank Hunter.

Iou also informed Ned that their team was looking for any wounded Hunters or survivors after a horde of Goblin attacked the Hunters in the Middle part of the island. Which was unusual, since according to the witnesses and survivors, the invading Goblins were moving in an orderly manner and was led by a beast they have rarely seen on the Du'kki island.

"Rarely?" Ned asked.

One of the Silver Rank Hunter nodded after a gulp. He seemed flustered by the events from the attack. He called himself Auwei from one of the minor Houses of Soak. It seemed that Auwei was the one funding the Cal Cadot team and would take any Quests above D to increase their funding and buy pieces of equipment to start or join a proper Raid.

"They called it a Shoon."

Iou shared what he heard during the attack.

The Shoon seemed to be wounded. According to whoever saw the beast, the Shoon lost one of his arms but manage to take down two Gold Rank Hunters before it fell on its own.

"What's more baffling is that after the Shoon fell, the rest of the horde retreaded as though they were concerned for the Shoon."

Engron spoke behind Ned, the attentive Silver Rank Hunter. The Scout was positioned behind the team to check their trail and if anyone was following them.

"Hmmm." Ned pondered things as they kept on walking the trail near the shore. A strong gust of wind brought salt and sand to the team.

Could be Khiccaal leading the horde, Ned thought.

Ned arrived in a busy clad of people near the shore. Multiple Hunters were running here and there as though in a state of war. There were Hunters lying on the ground with bandages wrapped around their wounded bodies.

"Iou!"

The Gold Rank Hunter looked overhead a makeshift tower. Four towers were guarding the encampment in the middle. Behind this encampment was a port, and judging from the woods that were used, they were built recently, not more than days have passed.

"Hunter Atch!"

"You found a survivor?"

"Yes! Well—kind of. "

The Hunter on the tower furrowed which prompted Iou to continue.

"He was lost in the woods. Does this count?"

"I bet it is." Atch smiled and pointed the team to the crowded encampment.