All the cars stopped right at the entrance of the forest. Originally, it was only the car from Zerra’s group, but others unexpectedly also followed. Nerith moved to the passenger seat after she took care of the folding bed in the backseat. "Is it ready?" Alaric got out of the car and went to confirm something with Cassias. "Yes." Cassias nodded. Alaric’s eyes fell on his wife’s lap, where a pair of cubs were laying comfortably. His heart nearly went into his throat. What if others saw Zerra ? "We need the tiger’s help to cross the forest safely," Alaric muttered. The corner of his eye caught sight of Sean, the teammate that his elder daughter and son that he had just met. A tiger appeared in the folding bed in the car. Alaric glanced at the tiger briefly before returning to his car. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Sylvaris?" Sean asked. "There is nothing wrong," he assured. "Let’s go back to your car. Did you apply the mutated animals’ repellent yet? Make sure to pay attention and have all the people in your car use it." "Alright," Sean muttered. He glanced at Zerra’s car a little curiously, but he couldn’t see anything from the outside. As soon as the tiger was out, it let out some growling noises, a little irritated. It was about to claw at Cassias, but the man evaded its claw flawlessly. Zerra let out an anxious yip. Why did they suddenly want to kill each other like that? The tiger, sensing Zerra’s turbulent emotion, snorted at Cassias before it curled into the bed. When the baby tiger saw its mother, it let out soft growls of excitement. The cub jumped from Nerith’s embrace and snuggled with its mother. Zerra tried to communicate with the tiger. "You were the king of this forest previously, right?" She let out a few soft yips, letting others know she was talking with it. The tiger licked its baby, and then stopped to answer Zerra’s question, confirming it a little smugly. "You were the strongest here?" She asked again rather rhetorically. Cassias seemed to be listening to the conversation. He had already started the car. As their car drove into the gloomy forest, the other two cars followed. However, with regard to Zerra’s last question, she sensed unusual emotional fluctuation from the tiger. It took a while before the tiger answered. She received a story about that python from half a year ago. Just as she guessed, the python was the tiger’s archenemy. At first, the snake was just a small, regular snake like any other animal. The tiger was the first beast to gain intelligence and mutation. The snake was just another inconspicuous reptile. However, one day, after the fog occurred, the snake was missing for quite some time. Initially, the tiger didn’t care about it. Until it returned, becoming bigger and bigger. Lately, the tiger found out it was swallowing any human wandering into the forest. Hence, the python’s fast growth. It understood that the crystal cores were very beneficial for its growth. Thus, the snake hunted a lot of them until one day it invaded the tiger’s territory and took its cub. Angered, the tiger chased after the snake, engaging in a life and death battle–a battle that Zerra and her group had coincidentally witnessed upon their journey to the capital. The snake was actually weaker than the tiger, but the former was very tricky because it had awakened a strange ability where it could swallow items and send them to another dimension for storage. "So, in conclusion, you are still the strongest here, right?" She confirmed. The tiger nodded, a little proud. "Then, can you ward off animals here so that they won’t get close to us?" Zerra yipped softly. "We want to pass through the forest safely. Can you help us?" The tiger immediately agreed without hesitation. It released the sense of oppression only belonging to a mutated beast with a higher level. Thus, every time a flock of mutated animals appeared in the distance, they would be scared away and disappear quickly. When their cars passed by the spot where these animals gathered, they couldn’t help but feel surprised. In Sean’s car, their wariness still didn’t lessen. "There were mutated animals here earlier. Where did they all go? Didn’t they sense us?" An ability user asked while examining the surroundings. "This is the first time we have tried the mutated animals’ repellent. Is this that effective?" Another ability user mumbled. Sean glanced at them, and he couldn’t help but stare at the two cars ahead. "The mutated animals’ repellent is indeed very effective," he answered. "But it isn’t omnipotent. Don’t rely on it too much. If you are stuck in a horde of mutated animals, some of them, which are intelligent enough, might notice something odd with you and attack." "One ingredient of this item is a high-level mutated animal, so it can also be risky to use. If a high-level mutated animal feels that you have invaded its territory, it might attack you," Sean explained. "The high-level beast would regard you as another high-level beast trying to snatch its territory." Because of the tiger’s contribution, they could pass through the forest without a hitch. Their group was small, but each one possessed incredible power and courage. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to venture out of the capital into danger. Nyra had been mostly silent throughout the entire journey. However, she no longer showed a cold face to Alaric or Nerith again. If anything, her face softened a little. The most surprised by their decision was actually her. A trip that should only involve her, Sean, and the other teammates gained other members. On top of that, they were the people she least expected. Indeed, Zerra played a huge role in it. Still, when they could have decided to forbid all of them from going, they still followed Nyra’s wishes in a way. They had been on the road for a few days. At this time, they were not that far from the Moon Cloud City human base. Maybe another two more hours and they would arrive. However, it was already night, so they decided to find a place to get some rest. They were afraid that in case they insisted on continuing, the base was already closed and didn’t allow unregistered people to enter. "Sleep. We will go to the base tomorrow," Alaric told them. However, not long after they closed the restaurant–the dusty building they had picked as a place for temporary respite–they heard a commotion from outside. "Help! Please help me! They want to kill me and take my crystal core!"