Alex left at the crack of dawn.
A pack slung over his shoulder. Saber at his back. A dull warmth of chakra thrumming beneath his skin. No grand announcement. No dramatic exit. Just a quick nod to Yusuf the night before, and then silence.
The forest welcomed him like it always had: cold, quiet, alive.
The early climb up a ridge east of the Cradle left his breath short but his mind clear. When the wind shifted and the sun began to rise, he caught sight of something that made him stop dead in his tracks.
A giant eagle—soaring above the canopy.
“Fuck me.”
Wings longer than a hunting lodge, feathers white and gold like they drank sunlight. It circled once above the distant ridgeline, casting a vast shadow before disappearing into the clouds like it had never been there.
Alex just stood and watched, stunned, a child again. In awe.
He didn’t say a word.
They’d all had tunnel vision since arriving in this world. Survival-oriented, for good reason. But they’d missed the beauty of it—the wild, untamed expanse of it. A world where wondrous creatures roamed freely.
<hr>
By late morning, he reached a river.
He crouched at its edge, refilling his canteen. That’s when he saw it.
A stag.
Not just any stag—white-furred, antlers like polished bone. It stood across the water, drinking calmly from the stream. Its reflection rippled in the current, but the animal itself remained motionless. Alert. Aware. Unafraid.
It looked at him.
He looked back.
He made no move to draw his saber, or throw one of the two kunai tucked in his side pouch. It just felt wrong.
And then it turned and vanished into the brush like smoke in wind.
<hr>
The scent hit next—rot, damp meat, decay. The forest went quiet.
Then came the footsteps. Heavy. Unhurried. Confident.
Alex crept behind a fallen log, lowering his presence. Then it lumbered into view.
A troll. Seven feet tall at least. Hunched. Pale flesh stitched with scars. Its belly sagged. Its hands dragged over roots and moss like it barely needed to lift them. But it moved with purpose—head pulled back, bulbous nose twitching in the morning sun.
Alex backed away.
But it smelled him first.
With a sudden snap of its neck, its eyes locked onto him. Narrowed. Curious. Hungry.
Then it charged—roaring, snapping limbs underfoot.
He didn’t run this time. He was done running.
He funneled chakra to his lungs, drew a long breath, and weaved the hand signs.
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“Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!”
A volley of fireballs erupted in a tight stream, catching the troll mid-charge. It shrieked—loud and pained—but pressed through the flames. The pungent stench of burnt flesh hit his nose.
He ducked to the side, slashing out with his saber, now cloaked in flame. A deep gash opened in the troll’s thigh—burned. He saw the flesh twitching, trying to close. It swung back, a massive arm grazing his shoulder. He stumbled, rolled.
Its healing had already begun—but the burns weren’t closing as fast.
So fire slows it down. Troll confirmed.
Alex unleashed another burst of flame, aiming for its chest and throat. Skin bubbled and blackened. This time, it staggered.
He surged forward. Chakra into his feet. Blade raised.
The troll swung. Alex ducked. A blast of water—a half-formed water clone popped and blinded it.
Alex came up behind, leapt high.
A final, downward slash.
The troll dropped. A crash that shook the dirt.
Alex stood panting. Sweat-drenched. Bruised. But alive.
<hr>
Dragging the body was hell.
He rolled it onto a tarp, tied it down, and started the slow march back to the Cradle. Muscles screamed. Blood dried. The forest watched in silence.
But no one dared cross him.
Not today.
<hr>
Back at the Cradle, three days of drizzle and tension had done little to lessen the camp’s pressure.
Camila had led a goblin sweep the day before—four kills and a hobgoblin pike brought in. Points were split among the group, but not without more mutterings: favoritism, point hoarding, imbalance. People forgot fast that it was Camila risking her life out there.
Yusuf, Grace, and Ellie had returned to regular training rotations. Ellie helped Hana refine her ice manipulation into something that resembled actual offense. Grace had been sharpening her Observation Haki. Yusuf trained with Wren and Travis—they’d unlocked Zetsu now, but were avoiding more advanced Nen techniques like In or Hatsu until they had more points or enough time to master them properly.
<hr>
Jake sat by the fire, scribbling in his notebook. Miriam treated minor scrapes, Li assisting as always.
Becca was still working on her chakra control, trying to stick leaves to her arms, laughing each time one peeled off.
The One Piece crew was training hard. David, in particular, had made a big purchase that morning:
Full Body Armament Haki. Forty points gone in a blink.
But skipping what could’ve taken months or years of training? It was a trade worth making.
He couldn’t coat his blade yet with Armament, but being able to coat his full body, he was becoming a walking tank. And no one could question his new status. Camila finally had competition for the most formidable.
<hr>
Not all was calm.
Callum had gathered a few more of the pathless into quiet meetings, whispering about the growing gap between the powered and the powerless. “Voice for the voiceless,” he called it.
When David caught wind, he half-joked about putting Callum in the ground. Miriam wasn’t amused.
“I’m not wasting medical chakra on that man,” she said, and that was that.
<hr>
Then came the shout.
“Figure near the eastern ridge!”
Weapons half-drawn. Eyes sharp. People scattered toward vantage points.
Then came the limp.
The cloak.
The saber across the back.
Alex.
Dragging a massive troll behind him.
Callum recoiled. “What the fuck is that!?”
Jake leaned forward, licking his lips. “Something for the Bestiary.”
Alex dropped the body beside the Obelisk with a grunt and collapsed next to the firepit.
“Victory?” Camila asked.
Alex gave a slow thumbs-up, eyes closed. “Big guy. Not friendly.”
“Glad you’re alive,” Miriam said, already checking his shoulder. “Idiot.”
Jake cackled. “You’re cooking tomorrow.”
Alex didn’t answer. He just lay back and stared at the sky.
The world’s bigger than they know, he thought. And I’ve only scratched the surface.
<hr>
Sacrifice:
<ul>
<li>
Alex: 18 points (previous)
</li>
<li>
Troll (Forest Variant): +40 points
Total: 58 points
</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Jake’s Updated Log:
<ul>
<li>
Confirmed Survivors: 72
</li>
<li>
Alex slayed a Troll (Forest Variant): 40 points earned
</li>
<li>
New notable creature sightings:
<ul>
<li>
Giant Eagle – Skyborne
</li>
<li>
White Stag – Territory unknown
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Power Update:
<ul>
<li>
David purchased Full Body Armament Haki (40 pts)
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Camp Dynamics:
<ul>
<li>
Callum’s rhetoric gaining traction
</li>
<li>
Training progress steady; Hana improving
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Cradle Status: Holding
</li>
<li>
Next Objectives:
<ul>
<li>
Reassess long-range scouting
</li>
<li>
Monitor Marcus’s group
</li>
<li>
Encourage power development before Obelisk expires</li></ul></li></ul>