The clearing felt unnaturally still.
Ren and Lyra stood at the edge of the wide open space, staring at the slightly giant tree that dominated the far side. Floating clearly in Ren’s vision were the words **[Dungeon Boss Area]**. The air here was heavier, thicker with mana, and every instinct he had developed as a soldier told him that something powerful was waiting.
He checked Perfect Targeting.
**Remaining active time: 1 minute.**
There was no time to waste.
Ren immediately swept the entire clearing with the skill. Most of what he saw were ordinary ancient trees and common undergrowth. But in several hard-to-spot locations — behind thick roots, beneath dense patches of moss, and in the shadowed hollows of fallen logs — he detected something different.
Rare plants.
The first was a low-growing herb with silver-veined leaves called **Moonveil Grass**. It was extremely difficult to notice with normal eyes. According to the system, Moonveil Grass was a key ingredient in mid-level healing potions and recovery medicines, but it needed to be properly processed by an alchemist before it could be used. A single stalk could be sold to the Adventurer Guild for around one thousand gold coins.
Ren moved quickly and carefully. He collected five stalks of Moonveil Grass and placed them into a physical bag instead of the system storage.
Near the base of a twisted root, he also found a small, faintly glowing fruit half-buried in the soil. The system identified it as a **Manaheart Fruit**. If properly processed by an alchemist, it could permanently increase a person’s Mana Capacity. Its market value was approximately two thousand gold coins.
He placed the fruit into the same bag just as the final seconds of Perfect Targeting ticked down.
In those last moments, he also sensed two familiar presences entering the outer part of the dungeon far behind them.
The spies had followed them inside.
Then the one-minute mark ended.
A cold system notice appeared.
**Perfect Targeting has entered cooldown.**
**Skill locked until midnight.**
Ren exhaled slowly and turned to Lyra.
“My detection skill just locked. It won’t work again until midnight. From now on we’re blind to long-range threats.”
Lyra’s expression tightened, but she nodded. “Then we stay alert the normal way.”
Several minutes earlier, near the dungeon entrance, two figures stood in the shadows of the trees.
Alex kept his voice low. “Are you certain those two are the ones we’re looking for?”
Silvia’s crimson eyes remained calm and sharp. As a Level 84 Dark Elf, her senses and observational ability far exceeded those of ordinary humans or even most high-level spies.
“Yes,” she answered quietly. “While they were fighting monsters earlier, I caught a faint residue of temporary hair dye on the woman’s skin. It was extremely small — almost impossible to notice even from close range. But my skill picked it up. The dye was breaking down. That silver-haired wolf beastwoman is trying to hide her identity.”
She continued in a cold, precise tone.
“There are other signs as well. When they entered the forest, their coordination while fighting with sword and magic was clearly not smooth. It looked practiced but still imperfect. Yet earlier in town they sold a fairly large quantity of the same monster materials — wolf parts and rabbit materials. The amount was significant, but not large enough to draw special attention from the guild. That contradiction suggests they were using different, more effective weapons before and only switched to sword and magic recently to appear ordinary.”
Alex’s eyes widened slightly.
“They also never looked in our direction,” Silvia added. “Not even once. Normal adventurers constantly check their surroundings in a place like this. These two deliberately avoided our position. That kind of awareness only comes from people who already suspect they are being watched.”
She turned her gaze toward the dungeon entrance.
“A normal spy would never have been able to confirm their identity with these scattered clues. We are fortunate my observation skills are higher than most. We will follow them inside. After we exit, you will return to the capital and report everything to the princess. Until we receive new orders, we observe only. No contact.”
Alex nodded seriously. “Understood.”
The two of them stepped into the green mist of the Hollowroot Domain.
Back in the boss clearing, the fog began to thicken without warning.
It rolled in from the edges of the open space, swallowing the bases of the trees and reducing visibility with every passing second. Within moments, Ren and Lyra could barely see more than fifteen meters ahead.
Ren kept his hand near the longsword at his waist, though his mind was already calculating when he might need to switch to modern weapons. Lyra stood close beside him, wand raised, wind mana quietly gathering around the tip.
They both felt it.
Something was watching them from within the fog — something far larger and far more ancient than the juvenile Tyrant Trees they had fought before.
Ren spoke in a low voice.
“The boss is here. I couldn’t find its exact location before the skill locked. Stay close. If the situation turns bad, we drop the act and use everything we have.”
Lyra’s grip on her wand tightened.
“I’m ready.”
The fog continued to thicken, and from somewhere deep within the white haze, a low, creaking sound began to echo — like wood slowly splitting under immense pressure.
The true guardian of the Hollowroot Domain was about to reveal itself.