Prepared with their improvised protection, Ren and Lin continued advancing through the tunnel. The density of mushrooms increased exponentially, until they were practically walking on a pulsating golden carpet. The air grew denser, charged with invisible spores that danced around them, recognizing, evaluating, but allowing them passage thanks to their disguise. ♢♢♢♢ Outside the tunnel... The searchers had deployed in a perimeter around the strange clearing of golden mushrooms, their confusion evident in the glances they exchanged. None dared approach too close to those pulsating structures that seemed to breathe collectively. "What the hell is this?" murmured a tracker. "There shouldn't be anything like this in this forest." "The commander will want a detailed report of this anomaly when we mention it," responded another, his eyes never leaving the mushrooms. "But finding the fugitives has priority... After that, we can take samples." Among the two flyers who soared above the clearing, Kieran stood out not only for having been the first to arrive but also for the restlessness of his Vulture Fox. The Silver 2 ranked beast, a creature with brownish-black fur and membranous wings, allowed him to sniff the air, but also received evident agitation within its tamer's body with each mouthful. His eyes, reddish from the fusion, were fixed on the pattern formed by the mushrooms. The layout wasn't random, from above, Kieran could discern an unmistakable deliberate organization, as if the fungi were forming a directional sigil line across the forest floor. "I'm going to explore further," announced Kieran to his Silver 1 subordinate, adjusting the straps of his flight support equipment. "This doesn't seem natural. It appears to follow a very direct and specific direction." The subordinate, his second-in-command, frowned. "The perimeter where they should be by now isn't that large." "I know," Kieran responded, already rising. The powerful beat of his wings stirred the air around them. "But all this and the timing seems strange to me... Cover me to watch the crossing while I return. Keep your flying companions making rounds near the clearing and monitor the routes toward the border. I'll be back soon." Without waiting for a response, Kieran used his Vulture Fox's wings to ascend much higher in the air. From that height, the vision was revealing: the mushrooms formed a golden, luminous line that extended toward the interior of the Bronze forest, following what appeared to be the direct route to the increase in mana concentration. Kieran beat his powerful wings, advancing at a speed that no land tracker could match. In minutes, he left behind the limits of the Iron ring, venturing into Bronze ring territory. The air grew denser here, charged with greater mana concentrations that made his Vulture Fox's fur stand on end. Here, the trees grew taller and more lush, their canopies forming almost impenetrable domes of vibrant lights. The golden mushrooms continued their advance, growing in size and brightness as they penetrated zones richer in mana. A golden carpet had replaced most of the vegetation in what appeared to be the highway of the new fungi. Native plants withered where the mushrooms spread, their vitality seemingly absorbed by the advancing golden tide. "Incredible," Kieran murmured, descending slightly to better appreciate the phenomenon. "They're eliminating everything in their path to reach the Silver ring." In a few more minutes, he would reach the unmarked but universally recognized border of the Silver ring. Kieran rose higher, halting his advance. He wasn't stupid; he knew the dangers lurking beyond. The common and superior Mirror Mantises of the Bronze 1 and 2 ring, though lethal, didn't represent an aerial threat. Neither did the Ghost Frogs, Explosive Larvae, or Robust Excavators. But the Silver ring was another world: Flash Mantises capable of cutting the air with their scythes, Explosive Cicadas that could launch themselves in the air and embrace you with enormous strength from the Ghost Trees' canopies. A potentially deadly territory for someone even of his level, especially alone. He could handle one of those monsters, but not two simultaneously. Kieran rose near the limit until reaching a safe height. From there, using his Vulture Fox's exceptional vision, he observed the mushrooms' behavior. The golden line seemed to stop abruptly at the Silver ring's boundary, as if it had encountered an invisible barrier that even its extraordinary absorption capabilities couldn't immediately overcome. However, looking more carefully from different angles, Kieran detected something: mushrooms of considerable size growing on the enormous Silver Ghost Trees, like parasites sickening their host in early stages. "It seems that strange new species is gaining ground little by little," he murmured to himself, mentally documenting everything he saw for his report. Satisfied with his reconnaissance, Kieran decided to return, his duty to report this phenomenon now outweighing his curiosity. But during the return flight, something caught his attention... An irregular movement patch near the ground, in a clearing close to the mushroom carpet between the trees. The disturbance was subtle, the desperate thrashing of something large engaged in a life-or-death struggle. Kieran descended cautiously, maintaining a safe altitude but low enough to distinguish what was happening. It was a Superior Mirror Mantis, one of the deadliest creatures in this Bronze ring zone. But this one was clearly injured, moving erratically. Its exoskeleton, normally brilliant and reflective enough to confuse predators and prey alike, was partially covered by patches of those same golden mushrooms, as if the creature had been infected. "Poor bastard," whispered Kieran. "It seems they might use beasts as food and dispersal vehicles." The detached observation masked his growing unease at witnessing such an aggressive infection. But the infection was nowhere near the most intriguing characteristic of those mushrooms... What happened next surpassed any expectation, shattering Kieran's understanding of the forest's ecosystem. From a trap that appeared to belong to a Robust Excavator, a perfectly camouflaged hole with a lid that simulated the forest floor, emerged a creature that Kieran had never seen in books or expeditions in this area. His first thought was that it was a Superior Robust Excavator about to evolve, but the reality was something much stranger. It was enormous, slightly larger than the size of a Superior Robust Excavator. Three meters in height, with a massive body that must have weighed close to two tons. Its skin was an impossible mix… Partially amphibian and slippery, partially covered with short, shiny fur that seemed to absorb rather than reflect light. But the most disconcerting feature was its eyes, five of them, asymmetrically distributed across its deformed head, each one shining with a different color. The creature's tongue, disproportionately long even for its monstrous size, shot out like a living whip. It caught the infected Mantis, dragging it toward its enormous mouth in a fluid movement. Kieran observed, paralyzed by amazement, instinctive horror, and even more by the innate ability of the creature's hypnotic lights… how the monstrosity devoured the entire Mantis, mushrooms included. The crushing sound of the Mantis's exoskeleton reached him even at his altitude, followed by a series of wet noises. The creature's five eyes glowed simultaneously after the feast, emitting hypnotic patterns that further invaded Kieran's mind even at that distance. A slight paralysis began spreading through his extremities. Dangerous considering he was in mid-flight... With supreme effort, Kieran shook his head and flapped his wings vigorously, breaking visual contact with the aberration. The momentary struggle for control left him gasping, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The creature, apparently satisfied with its meal and not really aware of the observer in the air, returned to its subterranean hiding place. The forest floor 'rearranged itself', leaving no trace of the monstrous predator's existence. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖 Kieran ascended rapidly, his heart hammering in his chest as he realized he could have kissed the ground, or worse, become another meal for the abomination below. The fungi weren't just gaining terrain... they were fundamentally altering the forest's ecology outside. A memory formed in his mind as he flew away, something he had seen in some of the new companions recently brought in as 'help' from Yino's territories. "The Abyssals," whispered Kieran, a shiver running down his spine. "They're less combined than that..."