Clammy moisture wrapped around Zoya's skin.
This was a forest where the sky could not be seen.
The canopies of colossal trees blotted out the heavens, slicing the sky into tiny patches of light.
Ferns spread leaves like wings, while glowing moss clung to the enormous, tangled trunks.
At that moment, Zoya was leaning against a giant tree covered in purple moss, perfectly blending her slender figure into the mottled shadows.
She held her breath, slowing even her heartbeat to its limit as her violet eyes warily swept the surroundings.
Two days earlier, she had awakened alone in this bizarre forest.
As a professional rogue, she knew full well that in an unfamiliar environment, the first thing to do was conceal her tracks.
But the concern in her heart forced her to quicken her pace.
She had been spotted.
"Tap... tap... tap..."
Rhythmic metallic footsteps drew closer and closer.
She could only press herself lower, peering out through the gaps between the ferns before her.
A small figure emerged from behind a massive blue mushroom.
It was barely a meter tall, hunched over and clad in a tattered red cloak. The oversized iron boots on its feet were the source of those heavy footsteps.
What drew the eye most were the pointed red cap on its head and the enormous scythe it dragged in its hand, taller than it was.
The blade glinted coldly, carving a deep furrow through the moss-covered ground as it dragged along.
That red cap looked as though it had just been fished from a vat of blood, vivid and dazzling.
Red Cap stopped. The face hidden in shadow tilted up slightly, as if sniffing the scent in the air.
"Blood..."
Its gaze slowly swept over the area before finally settling on the direction where Zoya