Chapter 2: Nightmare Forest

Several months had passed since the incident. In the middle of the night, there's a gathering happening in a nearby city. It is the Kingdom of Alvaria that first discovered the unusual phenomenon. It is a small kingdom east of the mysterious forest.

In a secret room that only a small number of people know, the king arranged an assembly. The wake of something so unimaginably powerful is the main discourse of the gathering.

"As I said before this, my king, and all the people present, the kingdom might fall"

The man heading the intelligence department started to speak. He detailed everything that the scouts saw when they arrived near the mysterious place. Every monsters, weak or powerful, were all staying away from a large area inside the forest. It was then called the isolated forest.

The cause of the phenomenon is yet to be known but some of the informed form their speculations. Some suggest that there's a newborn monster inside the large forest. They think that a powerful aura was the cause of the sudden migration of monsters. Others say that there's a dragon that made the forest its new home.

Other suggestions are less popular like there's a poisonous plant that grew, an aftermath of a battlefield resulting in environmental degradation, or another kingdom's sabotage. Whatever the cause, the nearest kingdoms are at the most immediate risk.

The powerful monsters once inside the forest are expanding their territory, affecting the boundaries of the kingdoms. The other nearby kingdoms will eventually notice the unusual phenomenon and take measures against it.

"What are the most powerful monsters we have to deal with?", the king asked.

"A King Flamelizard and a Giant Armored Snake according to reports", the intelligence head replied.

"Two of them huh. General, can you win?"

"I'll mobilized my strongest men, your majesty", the head general assured.

The king nodded his head after hearing this. Despite being a small nation, they can still handle this kind of conflicts. Unfortunately, the problem is not yet finished. Even if they stopped the expansion of the monster's territories, the cause of the problem still remains.

If they don't do anything about it, the problem may grow to an unmanageable degree. In any case, the most important thing to do is to remove the cause of the monster's migration.

"So, what should we do to the isolated forest?"

"My king, I believe that we should request for the participation of the other nations. This might be so dangerous if even the high ranking monsters are staying away from it", the intelligence head said.

"You're right, we might even need the help of Kingdom Zechria"

"My king, but that's…"

"I know, but we should consider it as a last resort"

"As you wish"

After discussing the plan on how to make the other nations participate, the assembly was finished at last. The day is closing in to try and resolve the unusual phenomenon. Their victory might determine the future of the kingdom. But sometimes, not everything will go according to plan.

Meanwhile, in the kingdom west of the isolated forest, the news was brought to light. The king doesn't plan to make it a secret and soon after, the whole kingdom knows the unusual phenomenon.

There are people that felt afraid when they heard it to the point that some locked themselves inside their houses. There are those that are slightly afraid, preparing themselves to leave in case the need arises.

The king assured the people that their troops will be victorious and there's no reason to panic. They are confident that the dangers of the isolated forest is a huge exaggeration of what's true.

The king mobilized a hundred of strong men to subjugate the invading monsters including the high ranking ones. The path to victory is opened and the king smiled with the glory he will soon have.

The majority of the people are not worried as their king give them confidence that they will win. There are even some paid mercenaries that joined the troops that the king deployed. Though they're not as strong as the kingdom's troops, they are still a decent force to rely on. In their eyes are the riches and fame they will have after this expedition.

The unusual phenomenon is something that most part of the world didn't mind. But the information about it tells the different nations that this is no simple matter. A certain area that even high ranking monsters are staying away from? That's an unusual occurrence that needs to cease as soon as possible. Though the majority of the world's nations will not be affected much, the threat is there to be wary of.

Dragons are the most probable to consider but it's been so long since the last time anyone see one flying around. It was said that the dragons are hiding because of the one that united the central world. Whether a dragon or a being as strong as one, the situation is pretty bad. The only hope they have is to let the nations around the forest to make the steps to prevent a disaster.

The troops are marching along with the mercenaries. Soon, they will reach the territory of a Goblinlord. The goblin horde invaded the northeast side of the kingdom just days before their expedition. It's important to prevent their current invasion of the kingdom's territory.

"Sir, I see about seven goblins from a distance!", said the scout of the troops.

"Okay, get ready for battle, battle formation!"

The mercenaries charged fast the moment the scouts said the information. They have been waiting to kill the monsters for so long. At the sight of this disorderly behavior, the leader of the troops can't help but sigh.

The goblin heads roll one by one as the mercenaries decapitated them. The battlefield quickly turned red and a smell of blood attracted the other goblins from the camp. Eleven heads and then nineteen, until the mercenaries alone killed fifty of the goblins. The battle was won with ease and swiftness.

The troop leader looks at the goblin heads, disappointed that his men didn't even participate. The mercenaries are efficient in fighting multiple low rank monsters, so it can't be helped.

"Looks like we don't need the kingdom's troops, what do you think troop leader?", taunted one of the mercenaries.

"Silence! There are many more monsters here that only we can handle. Once the strong monsters appear, I'll show you our strength"

"Heh, all of you should just go home. Let us handle this"

The troop leader is about to speak when they heard an explosion. They saw many mercenaries burning, desperately shouting for help. At the opposite direction they saw a mage goblin. The mercenaries began to panic witnessing the surprise attack.

The worse situation comes to their way as two other mage goblins were seen arriving. Even worse still, there are six giant goblins that soon arrived. The tables turn quickly as fast as they killed the weaker goblins.

The mercenaries became divided in their decisions. Some flee from the danger, sane enough to know they can't handle the fight. Some are stubborn enough to stay thinking they can win. There are mercenaries that can handle to fight but they're not organized enough to fight without casualties.

Meanwhile, the troop leader ordered the kingdom's troops to mobilize in battle formation. Not a single one are fazed by the goblins. The mage goblins and the giant goblins confront the troops along with hundreds of low rank goblins.

The mage goblins simultaneously cast fireballs to the fleeing mercenaries. It's obvious for the people fighting that no one will be allowed to escape. The remaining mercenaries have no choice but to fight as well even if they might die either way.

The troops charge at one giant goblin ensuring that the troops facing the mage goblins are raising their shields. The troop leader quickly pierce the goblin's heart before it can pound the ground. They then continue and made their way to another giant goblin.

One of the giant goblins pound the ground that killed several mercenaries. 'The slaughter shouldn't continue' as thought by the strongest among the mercenaries. He quickly pierce the heart of the giant goblin. He's about to kill another one when he is forced to dodge. He caught the attention of a mage goblin.

The troops soon killed two giant goblins along with many low ranked goblins. They'll need to kill the remaining two before fighting the mage goblins. Two of the mage goblins wouldn't allow their action. The goblins cast multiple fireballs to the troops. Good thing the troop leader's barrier is strong enough to withstand the barrage of flames. Then the goblins stopped casting as they run out of magic. A chance to finally finish the fight.

The mercenary dodges every fireballs but as a result, all of it hits the remaining mercenaries. He's closing the gap between him and the mage goblin, making the goblin panicked looking for escape. A giant goblin blocked his way but he cut its head off then continue to move towards the mage goblin. In no time, he's face to face against the monster. A swift movement of his blade disconnected the head of the mage goblin.

The troops are successful in killing the last giant goblin and they soon charge towards the two mage goblins. The exhausted goblins order the low ranks to be their protection as they attempt to return to the Goblinlord. The troop leader and the strongest of the mercenaries wouldn't allow it. With the help of the kingdom's troops, they quickly reach the mage goblins uninterrupted.

A swift slash put an end to the goblins. The remaining low ranks are also killed swiftly without a problem. After the whole ordeal, they can finally rest a little. There's not much mercenaries alive while the kingdom's troops remain intact.

"We underestimated the enemies. We should return to the kingdom and regroup our troops", the troop leader said.

"I can't believe that I will agree with you"

The expedition came to a halt as they prepare to return to the kingdom. But good fate doesn't seem to be by their side. From the shadows of the trees, an ominous figure was seen.