Gather the strong

The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting long, slanted beams of light across the camp. Julius had just finished his routine of sharpening his dagger when the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind.

The camp woke up to a new quest.

Julius looked at his system in surprise, the new quest was oddly simple.

{New Quest: Explore the Forest.} The forest was a regular healthy forest, perhaps suspiciously regular.

{Objective: Inspect the forest and report any irregularities.} 'Ah.' Thought Julius. 'So it isn't safe.'

Julius glanced around the camp. It was a strange feeling, the quiet hum of anxious anticipation that seemed to grip everyone at once. His eyes swept over the other survivors, all of them gathering supplies, readying themselves for the exploration ahead. Yara was fiddling with her staff, her movements jerky, and even the level 6 adventurers were taking extra care in checking their gear.

"Looks like we're moving out," Julius muttered to himself. He wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants and stood up. "No turning back now."

Yara, who had been listening intently to the system announcement as well, gave him a tight smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'll be ready," she said, as if trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

Julius gave her a reassuring nod. "Just keep your head down and don't stray from the group. We'll be fine."

They moved toward the group that was being formed to inspect the forest. Garrick, the towering tank-class member, was already heading up the group, his massive shoulders squared as he prepared his gear. Dain, the leader of the strongest group in the camp, appeared to be organizing the rest of the party.

"We'll be working in small groups," Dain's voice carried over as he briefed everyone. "Stick together. If we find anything strange, we report immediately. We're not here to fight anything—just to gather information." His gaze flicked over to Julius, Yara, and the rest of the team. "And don't get too comfortable. This is an unknown forest, and I've got a bad feeling about it. If you feel weak, follow my group. If not spread out, the forest is large, and it surrounds every part of the camp, it'd be best if we covered as much ground as possible today."

Julius barely heard the rest of Dain's orders. His thoughts were elsewhere—on the strange words of the system, on the peculiar task ahead. He'd never been on a quest like this before. Explore the forest? Did that mean there was something dangerous in it?

As they moved toward the edge of camp, their steps grew more cautious. The forest loomed large, a dense tangle of towering trees, shadows, and thick underbrush. Despite the calmness of the morning, the air felt heavier here, as though something unseen was watching.

Julius clenched the handle of his dagger tightly, and he felt Yara's presence next to him. 

The first few minutes of their exploration were uneventful. They trekked through the underbrush, glancing around as the system guided them toward the heart of the forest. The trees stretched tall, their boughs weaving together to form an almost impenetrable canopy. The air smelled earthy, fresh, and filled with the scent of moss and damp leaves.

But then they saw it.

A faint shimmer—a barely visible wall that stretched across the path ahead of them. It was as if the air itself had solidified, a ripple in the atmosphere. Julius stepped forward and reached out cautiously, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"It's a barrier," he muttered.

Yara's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Julius ran a hand along the shimmering surface, his fingers grazing against the strange barrier. "A magical one. We've found it."

Dain, who had been walking ahead, turned at the sound of Julius's voice. When he saw the shimmering wall, he gritted his teeth.

"This wasn't here before," he growled. "It's an invisible wall. I suppose this means we can't leave the forest until we find a way to take it down"

Julius's brow furrowed as the weight of the situation sank in. The barrier surrounding the camp had never been mentioned in the briefings. They had all assumed the camp was safe, protected—an isolated place where they could wait out the system's tasks. But this...

"We need to report this to the rest of the camp immediately," Dain said. He looked around at his group. "Stay alert. Something's not right."

The group circled the barrier, inspecting its edges. No matter how they tested it—poking, prodding, pressing—the barrier remained an immovable wall. It was as if it was made of pure energy, solid and impenetrable.

"Let me try a new approach." 

Dain took out his greatsword and swung as hard as he could. 

"Agh." Dain panted, that strike had taken everything from him. He looked up, the barrier had not even trembled.

"Why is there even a barrier here?" Yara asked, her voice quiet.

"I don't know," Julius replied. "But our quest hasn't changed, there's probably more to explore in this forest." Julius looked at his system, nothing had changed.

{New Quest: Explore the Forest.}{Objective: Inspect the forest and report any irregularities.}

Dain motioned for the group to turn back. "We'll head back to camp. We need to report this."

The group made their way back, but the unease hung in the air like a thick fog. No one spoke, each person lost in their thoughts. It wasn't until they returned to the clearing that the panic hit.

A man—one of the adventurers from another group—came rushing through the trees, his face pale and his body covered in sweat. His hair was matted to his forehead, and his eyes were wide with terror.

[James-Level 3 Archer]

"Dain! Dain!" he yelled, running straight toward their group. His bow was missing, he was covered in blood. His ginger hair had been partly ripped apart, making him look like a mad-man.

Everyone froze. The man collapsed at Dain's feet, gasping for breath. "It's—it's coming! The Guardian—" He broke off into choking sobs. "It's here. It—" He glanced wildly around the camp. "We—our whole team—everyone was wiped out! We were just poking the barrier, then it said something out loud. We tried to run, but before we knew it everyone was dead. I only escaped because it let me, I think it wanted me to be a messenger, to warn you all that we shouldn't fight it. It's far too strong! It was level 13!"

Level 13, that was the phrase that took everyone off their feet. Double the level of even their highest members.

Dain's expression darkened, and he dropped to his knees beside the man, his voice low but stern. "What do you mean, wiped out? What happened?"

"The Guardian," the man whispered, his voice hoarse. "It—it killed them all. We tried to fight, we thought we could take it, but it was impossible. No one stands a chance. It's too strong! Our blades didn't pierce it's skin, our magic was futile. It was as large as the trees, but it made no noise. We never stood a chance."

The man's voice broke into an incoherent mess of tears and fear, and Dain stood up, addressing the entire camp. His voice carried through the clearing, and the people gathered quickly, forming a circle around him.

"We're not staying here," Dain said. "The barrier is the least of our problems now. The Guardian is real, and it could start hunting us. I need to hold a meeting, I'll figure who wants to fight it with me then.