Early the next morning, after a simple meal of dry rations to replenish their strength, the three set off again.
Ezreal summoned his pack of Summoned Beasts again, and the three rode on Crimson Feathered Demon Wolves, advancing steadily under the protection of a phalanx of Red and Blue Stone Warriors as they explored.
Along the way, the three proceeded cautiously. As they walked, Ezreal suddenly felt a chill rise from his spine.
"Malice?" Ezreal's heart jolted.
As a Mage who uses Light Magic, he was extremely sensitive to negative emotions such as malice, killing intent, and evil thoughts.
He keenly perceived that something was watching them from the shadows, radiating undisguised malice.
"Everyone, be careful. I feel like something is wrong," Ezreal said in a low voice.
Marcus and Cana, hearing this, began to emanate magic, with yellow sand and cards clutched in their hands.
Ezreal commanded his Summoned Beasts to stop, and the three observed their surroundings carefully, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Leaves rustled in the breeze, and insects in the grass continued to chirp tirelessly, but beyond that, there was nothing to be found.
The trackers Ezreal had sent out, besides observing a good number of herbivorous Magical Beasts with relatively ordinary magic around them, found no attacking Magical Beasts.
Even the keen-nosed Crimson Feathered Demon Wolves didn't detect the scent of any unusual creatures nearby.
After about ten minutes, everything around them was calm and peaceful, with the chirping of insects and birds echoing through the forest, seemingly mocking the three for their false alarm.
Marcus wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I say, Ezreal, are you being too sensitive? I don't feel like anything is wrong."
Ezreal frowned and said seriously, "No, my intuition isn't wrong. Something is definitely watching us from the shadows."
During those ten minutes, he felt the malice lessen considerably after they stopped, but a faint, lingering malice persisted.
Cana clutched the cards in her hand, her gaze scanning the surroundings warily: "Better safe than sorry. Everyone stay alert."
Seeing that they couldn't find any immediate danger, the three didn't waste time in one spot and continued their exploration.
The forest was quiet and mysterious, with only their footsteps and the occasional bird call.
Ezreal was certain that faint, malicious gazes were lingering around them, but each time he turned, he saw nothing.
This unsettling feeling lingered in his heart, making him even more vigilant.
The three walked like this all day, and as evening approached, the afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows long.
Just as the three of them dismounted their Crimson Feathered Demon Wolves and were about to dig a pit to rest again, Marcus patted Ezreal's shoulder.
"Are there tree spirits among the fiendish beasts?"
"Hmm?" Ezreal raised an eyebrow, not understanding what Marcus was getting at.
For the entire day, his mind had been focused on that faint, lingering malice. After being tense all day, he was now exceptionally tired, and his thoughts were somewhat sluggish.
Marcus pointed to the shadow of a towering ancient tree not far away and asked with some uncertainty, "Just now, there was a pair of red eyes in the shadow of that tree."
Ezreal's expression suddenly changed. Before he could react, Cana, who was beside him, reacted even faster. With a flick of her hands, six cards shot out.
In mid-air, they transformed into six blue lightning spears, piercing straight into the direction Marcus had pointed.
The blue lightning flashed and vanished in the dim forest, turning the large tree Marcus had indicated into charcoal, slowly emitting black smoke.
"Caw, caw, caw..."
The cawing of a Raven came from the charred tree, a sharp and piercing sound, like a wail from hell.
The rising black smoke strangely condensed into a humanoid monster even larger than a Red-Blue Stone Golem, roughly estimated to be nearly four meters tall.
It was a monster resembling a Raven Man!
A pair of broad black wings on its back, like a demon's cloak, brought a chilling wind with every flap.
It had humanoid limbs, but they were covered in black feathers, and its hands and feet had sharp, blade-like black claws, glinting with a cold light in the setting sun.
Its head was somewhat similar to a Raven's, but it had two short, curved horns, and its blood-red eyes were filled with malicious cruelty.
It looked like a Raven that had just begun to transform, barely having limbs and a rough human shape, but still eighty percent Raven.
After this Raven Man appeared, in the shadows of the surrounding forest, pair after pair of blood-red eyes lit up, like hundreds of red light bulbs ignited in the night.
Immediately after, the owners of these red eyes emerged from the shadows.
Hundreds of Ravens, similar in size to eagles, appeared in the forest, flapping their wings, their red eyes staring intently at the three with malicious intent. The intense malice and fierce aura almost assailed them.
Marcus's forehead beaded with sweat, "What kind of monsters are these?"
Ezreal recognized these terrifying creatures at a glance, and his expression instantly became solemn.
"No wonder the tracker's thermal sensor couldn't find them, and even the Crimson Feathered Demon Wolves couldn't smell the source of such close malice," Ezreal said, swinging onto a Crimson Feathered Demon Wolf.
"These are Ravens, ancient species of Magical Beast. They are gregarious, vicious, and enjoy causing senseless slaughter. They possess innate Undead Magic—Ghost Form."
"Its effect is to transform the physical body into a ghost, reducing magic damage taken, immune to most physical damage, and capable of concealing life aura."
"They are skilled in two types of Undead Magic: Death Feathers, which can release feathers imbued with a death aura;"
"Bloody Gaze—their eyes can emit a bloody ray that corrodes flesh."
"Adults are generally around C-Class in strength, with exceptional individuals reaching the level of a B-Class Mage or even an A-Class Mage. Their bodies begin to evolve towards a half-bird, half-human form, their intelligence increases, and they awaken the Demon Eye skill. Looking into its eyes will cause one to see illusions of themselves being killed by a Raven."
"The one leading them should be the leader of this flock of Ravens. Judging from its magical aura, it has strength approaching A-Class. It's definitely an Evil Crow King!"
No sooner had Ezreal finished speaking than the hundreds of Ravens let out a sharp, terrifying shriek, instantly shattering the forest's tranquility, and battle was imminent.
The Evil Crow King waved its wings, commanding the flock to unleash magic. Countless black Death Feathers rained down on the three.
Twenty Red and Blue Stone Warriors quickly moved forward, forming a solid defensive line with their massive and sturdy bodies.
Death Feathers struck the Stone Warriors, producing a series of crisp impacts, but like ants trying to shake a tree, they only chipped off a few rock fragments and caused no substantial damage to the Stone Men.
Against powerful A-Ranked Magical Beasts like the Earth Vein Rat, the Stone Warriors might have performed poorly, but against these C-Class Ravens, the Stone Men's defense was overwhelming!