The forest beyond the Academy grounds stretched out like a living sea of green, dense and humming with life.
A morning mist clung to the underbrush, veiling the land in cool silver light as birds chirped warily from high branches.
Luka moved silently through it all.
Serene followed close behind, her steps practiced and precise, though she carried a picnic basket in one hand like this was a countryside outing instead of a monster hunt.
"You know," she said casually as they ducked under a low branch, "most students would use their break to rest. Maybe visit a spa. Or sleep. Or eat something that wasn't cooked over a fire."
Luka, crouched beside a mossy rock, drew his dagger across the neck of a bloated forest crawler without even glancing back.
The monster gurgled once before collapsing into the leaves with a wet hiss.
A faint light drifted from its corpse, seeping into Luka's arm.
His EXP bar ticked up with a soft chime.
