Eternal life begins with saving my clan

"What is happening in the Burning Hinterland Forest?" a lizardman asked his companion as they exited the dense woodland.

"I don't know… but the situation inside the forest is growing worse by the day," the other lizardman responded, glancing back nervously.

"Should we inform the elders?"

"And say what?"

"I'm not sure, but I feel something is wrong… It might even affect our town."

"Relax… It's probably not that serious. Maybe the beasts are migrating, and that's why they've left their homes."

"I hope so…"

As the two lizardmen crossed the boundary of the Burning Hinterland, hundreds of glowing yellow eyes peered out from the darkness of the forest, watching them in eerie silence before vanishing back into the depths.

The forest was eerily quiet, yet deep within its heart, an ancient monster was stirring from its long slumber.

Around the terrifying fissure, thousands of beasts had gathered, inhaling the sinister, dark mist that seeped from its depths.

As they absorbed the mist, their bodies bulged, their muscles swelled, and their eyes turned crimson red, filled with nothing but savagery.

After a few minutes, each beast would leave, only to return with even more creatures to join the growing horde.

Slowly, their numbers swelled to tens of thousands, and they continued to grow at an alarming rate.

However, compared to the millions of beasts residing in the Burning Hinterland, this was still just a drop in the ocean.

Along the fissure's jagged edge, an old, withered figure watched in growing horror.

His gaunt face twisted with fear as he observed the eerie ritual before him.

As a beast who had lived for hundreds of years, he had seen this phenomenon before—and he knew exactly what was happening.

"This is bad…" he rasped, his voice cracking with dread.

He lifted his gaze toward the distant exit of the hinterland, a deep sigh escaping his parched lips.

'As long as I can escape this cursed energy, I should be able to regain my strength…'

With that thought, he began to crawl, inching his way upward.

Yet, with each passing day, the number of corrupted beasts surrounding the fissure continued to multiply, now numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

The once fearsome Burning Hinterland had grown deathly silent; the usual roars of territorial battles replaced by a dreadful hush.

Many of the mixed-race tribes living nearby noticed the change, but they assumed the absence of the beasts was a blessing rather than a warning.

Without the constant threat of predators, they freely roamed the forest, gathering rare herbs and exotic fruits.

Days turned into weeks, and entire villages bordering the forest had grown accustomed to the strange peace.

But today, something was different.

A thick, ominous cloud had formed over the Burning Hinterland, stretching wide across the sky.

It loomed, unnatural and suffocating, casting a shadow that swallowed the land.

For the first time in history, the sky above the Burning Hinterland was completely dark, a sight no one had ever witnessed before.

Even in the worst storms, no such clouds had ever appeared.

Suddenly, the dark mass expanded, pulsing as tendrils of inky black mist leaked from it.

Howl!

A deafening roar erupted from the depths of the forest, sending shivers through the spines of every living creature.

Inside the woodland, mixed-race hunters froze mid-step.

"What was that?"

"I-I don't know… Are the beasts fighting?"

Before they could react, the ground beneath them trembled.

The very earth quaked as if some ancient beast had awoken beneath their feet.

Ahhhhh!

Miserable screams filled the air as the forest erupted into chaos.

In mere seconds, every mixed-race hunter within the forest was slaughtered.

The bloodthirsty horde of corrupted beasts rushed from the depths of the Burning Hinterland, tearing through everything in their path.

And they did not stop.

They stormed toward the nearest mixed-race villages, crushing homes, slaughtering innocents, and painting the land in carnage.

In less than ten minutes, every settlement near the forest border had been obliterated, leaving only blackened ruins in the wake of the dark mist.

But this was just the beginning.

Hundreds of thousands of massive, frenzied beasts were now charging toward the closest town.

Perched atop the town walls, lazy guards lounged about, carelessly sipping their ale. There had been no attacks for years and they saw no reason to be on high alert.

Then, one of the drunken guards squinted at the distance, his vision hazy.

"Hic! W-What's…that?" he slurred, blinking at the strange, black cloud approaching at unnatural speed.

His companion snorted. "Hah! You've had too much to drink."

Meanwhile, at the town's entrance, a young rabbit-tailed boy pointed at the ominous cloud, tugging at his mother's sleeve.

"Mom, look! What's that?"

Instantly, travelers and merchants turned their gazes skyward.

Their faces twisted in confusion.

"Run! The beasts are coming!"

A panicked young man with two horns came sprinting toward the gates, his eyes wild with terror.

The guards exchanged glances, then laughed.

"The beasts? Here? What nonsense," one of them scoffed.

The young man ignored their mockery, panting heavily.

"You must believe me! I've never seen such terrifying creatures in my life!" he pleaded, his voice quivering.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the black mist.

His blood ran cold.

"Ah… It's here," he whispered.

Without another word, he bolted into the town, panic gripping his heart.

"I have to get my family out of here!"

The old man beside him frowned, watching his frantic escape.

'Could it be…true?'

His gut twisted in unease.

Their town was tens of kilometers away from the Burning Hinterland. Why would the beasts come this far?

"Old man, don't listen to that fool. He's lost his mind," one of the guards said dismissively.

The crowd nodded, agreeing.

It was too absurd to believe.

In less than two minutes, the young man came back with his family, his face filled with dread.

He looked at the guards and said. "Don't say I didn't warn you all."

With that, he urged his family as they rushed to depart from the town.

"Fool!" One of the pedestrians clicked her tongue.

Barely five minutes later, the dark clouds thickened, completely blocking out the sun.

Now, even a fool knew something was terribly wrong.

Howl!

A thunderous roar pierced the air, sending a wave of terror through the town.

The once-lazy guards leaped to their feet, their faces drained of color.

"B-B-Beast…tide…" one of them stammered in despair.

Before anyone could react, the beasts arrived.

Ahhhhh!

Miserable screams filled the streets as the dark cloud consumed the town, leaving behind only chaos, blood, and death.