Chapter 60: Anomaly

"Check the damage status, please."

I told Liu, collapsing onto the ground there. This expedition was a failure... I did see the "Leader" in person, but we're too drained to go on...

I have to get the members back safely... Two are missing. Looks like we’ll have to send another search party.

And Gojo... What the hell did he even do?

The monster right in front of Gojo just vanished. One second it was there, the next—massive numbers of them dead. Some kind of ability... skill?

"Wang! It's bad! Another three members are missing!"

"What?!"

Wait... so now it's five total? The first two, plus three more?

"Have you checked the area?"

"Yeah, we did. They’re just... gone!"

"I’ll go look right now. Split into groups—"

"Wait! Wang, it’s too dangerous right now! Let’s retreat and regroup!"

"They’re still nearby! We can’t just abandon them!"

"Calm down! We’re all exhausted! At this rate, we could all get wiped out! What kind of leader are you, acting like this?!"

Arguing with Liu is common, but usually she’s right. And this time is no different...

"Fine... We’ll retreat for now. Then I’ll organize a search team as soon as possible!"

"Good. Glad you see it. They’re not amateurs. They won’t go down that easily."

I decided to lead the group back. Getting everyone back safely is my responsibility...

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Seems like returning actually helped settle things... Yeah, continuing the search here was reckless. Right call, definitely.

Just as I was thinking about heading back, Wang called out to me.

"Thanks for helping me earlier. What do you make of that 'Leader'—the flaming bird? I'd like to hear your take, Gojo."

After a moment, I answered Wang.

"It's not a 'Leader'... probably a different kind of monster."

Wang's face went pale for a split second.

"Why do you think that?"

"Compared to the 'Leaders' I've seen, it's way too weak—lacks power, presence. It's spread across this huge part of China, yet it's weaker than Japan's 'Leader'? That doesn't add up."

Honestly, I'd even checked its stats. Level 2000s? Still too low. Even with its immortality ability, it's not a 'Leader.'

"Is that so..."

Wang walked on, looking disappointed. Just then, a voice came from behind the line. One of the members rushed over, panicked.

"What's wrong?"

Wang asked the running member.

"One more person's gone missing!!"

That was more than enough to signal something was seriously wrong.

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Six members of the 'Suzaku' unit gone... impossible! They're not ordinary humans—they're supernatural beings!

Even if trouble hit, they wouldn't vanish without a trace like that... unless...

"They're being attacked! I don't know how, but—"

My words snapped the tension taut.

"Wang, what now? Fight back or run?"

Liu's question came sharp.

"Retreat! We don't know who or what we're up against—fighting's too risky! Stick in groups of three or more. Never go alone! Move down the mountain now."

Mount Paektu’s got plenty of trees, but also a ton of rocky patches—visibility’s not bad at all. If enemies were coming, we’d have spotted them by now... something’s off...

The "Sparrow" members snapped into formation immediately, hurrying down the mountain. Everyone kept scanning the surroundings.

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"Damn, I'm maxed out..."

Before I even noticed, the second "Monk" had hit level 99.

Monk Lv99

Qigong Martial Arts Rank C → B

Acquired "Magic" Enhancement Magic (I) ×3

Qigong Martial Arts rank had jumped to "B"—same as the Wang. So now I should be able to use Qigong nearly as strong as the Wang... right?

I pulled the Monk's job board from the sub-space. I wanted to keep boosting Qigong Martial Arts, so I touched the surface and became the third Monk.

Still, if we were under attack from monsters, I should’ve felt *something*. I’ve got skills like "Enemy Detection" and "Spatial Sensing"—nothing’s triggering. Not a single response.

So... the enemy must have stealth or something close to it?

As I was thinking, a voice sounded behind me. The group stopped. The Wang and Liu moved to check. Someone reported that the three at the very back were gone.

"Idiots!? We were so careful!"

Liu answered, voice tight with the Wang’s anger.

"Maybe we can’t escape... they’ve got us pinned completely!"

The "Sparrow" squad had started with thirty-one. Now there were only twenty-two left...