Above the broad river, Joey and the others flew swiftly toward the opposite bank.
Along the way, they also searched for powerful Cliff Face Monsters, intending to repeat their old trick.
In the distance, forest monsters were still coming ashore, but as if wary of the Tower, every one of them chose to avoid it.
Even if avoiding it meant taking a detour, that did nothing to change their choice.
It felt as though they might survive by going around the Tower, but entering its range meant certain death.
This left Joey and the others looking grim.
As they drew closer, however, they discovered that even the Cliff Face Monsters and the dead-tree monster birds were deliberately keeping their battles away from the Tower.
In that case, if they really were heading toward the Tower, there was no need to choose a Cliff Face Monster at all. They could simply fly straight over in plain sight without encountering any obstacles.
Things unfolded just as they expected. As they approached the riverbank, the area around them had already begun to empty out.
Even some Fierce Beasts that had initially taken an interest in them fled in haste once they noticed which direction the group had chosen.
But the more this happened, the less certain Joey and the others felt.
The oppressive atmosphere intensified as they drew closer, until it almost felt difficult to breathe.
Ging suddenly stopped. "Relax a little. If we really go in like this, we might die without even knowing how."
He rubbed his face. Despite his words, Joey could see cold sweat seeping from Ging's forehead.
He had never seen that before.
But Joey himself was not in particularly good shape either. His accelerating heartbeat felt especially loud now.
He had a strong urge to vent, but