Chapter 752: They’ve been hiding their true strength?

Within seconds, Kaelen and the others reached the edge of the forest—and came to an abrupt halt.

No one rushed in. They exchanged glances, each seeing the same confusion mirrored in the others’ eyes.

“This is the edge of the Exile Zone, right? Shouldn’t it be barren out here? Why the hell is there a forest?” one of them asked, frowning.

“Maybe there’s an underground water source that hasn’t been contaminated yet,” another offered, half-guessing.

All eyes turned to Kaelen. As a top graduate of Pinnacle Academy, he had a reputation for sharp judgment and solid decision-making.

“Ever since we ran into those three zombies, nothing’s made sense,” Kaelen muttered, brows furrowed.

The others nodded in agreement. That much was true.

The woman in their group—a psychic-type Awakener—spoke up. “I can still sense the four zombies. They’ve stopped moving. Probably hiding in a tree hollow or something, thinking we won’t find them.”

“How far?” Kaelen asked.

“Not far. About a thousand feet,” she replied.

During the chase, she’d managed to attach a thread of her psychic energy to Big Ears and the others, allowing her to track them precisely. But it wouldn’t last long—soon, the connection would fade. They had to act fast.

Kaelen clenched his jaw. “A good recon unit has to be ready for anything. And figuring out what’s going on here is part of our mission.”

“Alright then,” the others said, nodding firmly. They understood what he meant.

They were going in.

Kaelen stepped forward first. “Stay sharp. Eyes open. No screw-ups.”

“Got it.”

The rest followed close behind.

As they entered the forest, the air turned cold—unnaturally cold. Everything around them was dead silent, like the world had hit pause.

Only the soft rustle of leaves underfoot broke the stillness.

The psychic woman kept her mental energy spread wide, scanning for any signs of danger. But even with her S-rank abilities, she couldn’t detect anything unusual.

Everything looked normal. Just a regular forest.

Which, to Kaelen, made it all the more suspicious.

Necroterra was never normal. It was a place of twisted horrors and unpredictable threats. If nothing weird was happening, that was weird in itself.

“Mutated plants? A fusion-type Zombie King? Or maybe an illusion?” Kaelen ran through his mental checklist, recalling everything he’d learned at the Academy that could explain what they were seeing.

But all of that assumed something was wrong.

The woman broke his train of thought. “We’re close. The zombies are just ahead.”

“Alright. Let’s finish this,” Kaelen said, confident. After the chase, he was convinced those zombies were weak—nothing they couldn’t handle.

Guided by the woman’s psychic sense, they moved forward.

Soon, they spotted a massive tree up ahead—easily fifty or sixty meters tall, with a trunk so thick it would take ten people to wrap their arms around it. At its base stood the four zombies.

Big Ears didn’t look surprised to see them. In fact, he smirked.

“Well damn, I’m already home and you’re still chasing me?”

The four of them frowned. Something felt… off.

“They’re not even trying to hide,” the woman said, puzzled. “They’re just standing there, like they’re waiting for us.”

Kaelen lowered his voice. “And they look way too calm. Like they’ve got something up their sleeve.”

“You think… they’ve been hiding their true strength?” one of the others asked, tense.

Big Ears twitched his oversized ears. His enhanced hearing picked up every word.

“Oho? Sharp one, aren’t you? So you figured it out—I have been holding back. Guess that means it’s time to drop the act. Looks like our ‘Overlord Squad’ cover’s blown.”

“What?!”

The four of them immediately tensed, energy flaring around them, ready to defend at a moment’s notice.

Overlord Squad?

Were they dealing with a team made up of regional powerhouses?

Seeing the four of them tense up, Big Ears couldn’t help but get playful. He raised his hand dramatically, face turning serious like he was about to unleash some devastating attack.

“Watch out!” Kaelen shouted, instantly on alert.

Right on cue, Big Ears slowly opened his mouth and declared in a deep, ominous tone:

“Domain of the Forest!”

The four of them froze, eyes wide. It sounded like an Absolute Domain—one of the most dangerous abilities a high-level Awakener or Zombie King could wield. Given the strange forest around them, they instinctively took a half-step back.

But… nothing happened.

The forest stayed still. No energy surge. No attack. Just silence.

“Oh? Big Ears, that was slick,” Shrimpy said with admiration. “You actually scared them off.”

“Of course I did,” Big Ears said smugly, puffing out his chest. In his mind, he was already updating his resume: Successfully intimidated four elite human Awakeners with a single bluff. (All strong as hell.)

Meanwhile, Kaelen and the others were glaring, brows furrowed. It was obvious now—they were being toyed with.

“Bastard! I’ve had enough of this!” one of the men growled, his patience snapping.

Already on edge, the mockery pushed him over. He stomped the ground hard—so hard the earth trembled. Definitely a strength-type Awakener. Muscles bulging, he charged straight at Big Ears and the other zombies like a freight train.

He was fast, powerful, and pissed.

But just as he closed the distance, a deep voice echoed from behind Big Ears:

“Domain of the Forest!”

This time, it was real.

The ground shook violently. Trees swayed as a strange, pulsing energy spread through the forest.

The charging man suddenly felt the earth give way beneath him. He stumbled, lost his footing—and then, from below, a mass of thick roots burst upward, wrapping around his body like snakes. In seconds, he was cocooned in vines, hoisted into the air like a mummified offering.

“Shit!” Kaelen’s face went pale. This was no bluff. That was the real deal—an Absolute Domain, though still in its early stages, not yet fully formed.

Around them, the forest came alive.

Trees groaned and twisted. Roots surged like serpents, slithering toward them, boxing them in. Branches lashed out like whips, striking from all directions.

Everywhere they looked—green. Living, moving, hostile green.

“This is a fusion-type Zombie King,” Kaelen said quickly, analyzing the situation. “But it hasn’t fully stabilized yet. We can still break out!”

“Got it!” the other two responded, immediately springing into action.

Besides the psychic woman, the third teammate was a speed-type Awakener. He darted through the chaos with fluid agility, dodging roots and branches. Reaching to his waist, he drew a sleek metal rod.

With a flick of his wrists, a glowing blade extended from both ends—a lightsaber, humming with energy.

He spun it in wide arcs, slicing through the attacking branches with ease. For now, he could hold his own.

“Sea of Flames!”

Kaelen’s voice rang out, low and fierce. Heat exploded from his body as fire erupted around him, spreading outward in a blazing wave.

The flames roared, devouring everything in their path.

Trees ignited. Roots shriveled. Smoke billowed into the air, thick with the acrid stench of burning wood.

Fire-type Awakeners were the natural counter to plant-based enemies—and Kaelen was proving it.

“Good. The Domain’s still in its infancy. If it were fully formed, we’d be screwed…” he muttered, though his heart was still pounding. That had been way too close.

But now, he was done playing.

This Zombie King had to die.

Flames surged around him, his eyes locked on Big Ears. He was just about to launch his counterattack when—

From deep within the forest, a blinding green light flared.

Another voice echoed through the trees, calm and cold:

“Vine Domain…”

…

Here’s a redemption code for everyone: