*Crash*

A huge tail crashed into the ceiling, making it cave in, and the debris fell everywhere. It would have taken anyone who was inside the cave as a result of this.

But since the people there had already snuck out, it did not injure anyone. The only loss was the loss of material held in the room.

"W-We managed to get out in time! Thank god! I was so sure we were going to be buried alive in there."

Topper #1 spoke softly as he clutched his fast-beating heart. It was beating too fast for his liking.

He was terrified to think about an alternate future where he had never left that place in time. He would have been buried under all that rubble as well.

"We don't have time to be thinking about it. Let's head out now. That is not the only monster we must worry about in this place."

Layla spoke softly so that her voice would not attract more pests, but her heart was beating louder and louder in her chest.

Fear threatened to engulf her, and she clutched her heart to slow it down and beat calmly.

She knew that they were screwed the second they stepped inside this place. But that did not mean that she would not do her best to survive.

"First, let's head toward the exit of the forest. I can track down these monsters so that I can navigate our way. You both can keep an eye on the smaller monsters."

Layla distributed the roles, but this was done more to keep peace between their party than needed help.

She could handle these monsters alone, but she knew the people she was with needed help.

They already looked restless, and any more of this would make them lose their mind and start protesting.

Layla knew kids' mentality, so she was sure that as long as she gave them something to do to keep them occupied, she could breathe in peace.

"Ugh, who made you the leader here? I should be the leader since I am smarter than both of you *crash*. Although, I guess I can still do that by watching things."

Topper #2 spoke with a brave face at the start. But a huge crash made him cringe and change his mind.

Layla had no time to think about childish fights that could develop between her and these children. She was too busy trying to survive to make sense of this.

"We can figure out who is the best later. For now, focus on the enemy in front of you. We are right in the middle of the forest, so our best course of action would be to find an edge and then travel around until we find an opening to get out."

Layla looked at the system map and was relieved to see that this place was not as big as she had hoped.

It also made it more likely for these kids to run into danger, but it also meant that Layla and her group had more chance to save themselves if anything happened.

She chose a relatively safe path to navigate these parts of the lands, but the further she walked, the more she felt like she was falling into a trap.

It made Layla stop and think about her options for a whole minute, and the pair who walked past her had disturbed looks on their faces.

"What the hell are you stopping for? Didn't you say that you wanted to get out of here fast? We need to walk if you want to make it."

Topper #1 spoke softly, his voice low but the annoyance in his voice clear. His eye even twitched as he looked back at Layla.

"Sorry! But I think we should be careful and not take this route. I know I said we should go this way, but I have a sudden feeling-"

Layla tried to explain, and her luck decided to strike.

A huge monster tail decided to strike the path she and the other kids were about to take, breaking the trees.

"W-What was that? It scared me! Shit. T-That could have been us as well, right? I am currently glad that we stopped right in time."

The kid clutched his chest as he looked at the fallen tree. It all happened too fast for anyone to register what happened and how it happened.

Layla only registered what happened after it had already happened, making her clutch her chest scaredly.

'That was a close call.'

"That was a close call. I think we should take the other route you mentioned."

For a minute, Layla felt like she had spoken aloud. But it turned out to be topper #2 who spoke. He was the second eldest, and he had composed himself when he turned to look at Layla and topper #1.

Perhaps he felt that it was his duty as the oldest to maintain peace and order among his peers.

His sharp eyes made Layla look away from him and focus on what was happening instead.

"You are right! We need to get going now. The longer we stay in one place, the more likely we will discover. Let's create smoke to keep these beasts from where we are and head out. That way, we can distract them from our location."

Layla advised, and the kids around her looked at her with approval. This was not her intention, but the result was what she wanted anyway.

The trio quickly got ready to work and created a small fire before Layla used her spell to raise the smoke.

She could immediately tell that her system worked, and the smoke attracted all the beasts in the area to head this way.

This was their best chance to escape and avoid facing any of the three grand beasts lurking in this area.

"Let's go! We will not get a chance better than this. The fodder distracts all the beasts, so we can get away now."