On the outskirts of the Thornedark Forest, amidst dense thorny underbrush, Chadwick and Archie were running at full speed, fleeing from a pack of feral monkeys.
The state of the two veteran soldiers was miserable, scratches and bruises covered their bodies, their faces were deathly pale, and dark circles hung heavily beneath their eyes.
"Damn it! Is there no end to these beasts?!" Archie shouted loudly, barely holding back tears.
"Shut up, you coward! If you hadn't dropped my sword, I could've fought them off. They're just E-rank beasts!" Chadwick pointed a furious finger at him, veins bulging on his forehead. He hated every second he'd spent with Archie.
"Then fight them yourself, you ungrateful bastard!"
Without slowing down, Chadwick punched a small monkey that had leapt at him from the side and cursed, "What did you just say, you little shit? I'm a swordsman, not a martial artist—I can't fight them barehanded! And how dare you scold me when this is all your fault?!"
