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“Could it be the Second Prince?”
“It doesn’t appear to be.”
In response to Smith’s irritated remark, the hunter with the sharpest eyes craned his neck.
“The distance is quite far, so I cannot be certain.”
“Not certain?”
“It seems to be Lady Bolsheik.”
In a place adorned with lush greenery resembling the deep blue sea, it would be difficult to mistake the glistening red hue.
The moment he finished speaking, the hunters exchanged glances.
They were seasoned and capable enough to serve those of royal lineage.
Now, with the First Prince, Third Prince, and even the young Lady of Bolsheik assembled, facing a colossal beast capable of trampling a person in an instant,
The situation was sudden and exceedingly perilous, yet they were devising a plan.
“First, let’s try to avoid the Bolsheik area since it’s hazardous
”
However, Smith disregarded the suggestion of the most experienced hunter.
His mind was consumed by a single thought.
The instant he heard that the person approaching from the left was none other than Lyna.
The Black Tiger and Lyna.
Danger and objectives.
Those two elements swirled in his mind.
He never anticipated it would be so challenging to reconnect with Lyna, not until she announced their breakup.
He knew without a doubt that it was more than just a broken heart, but he had divulged the news to everyone, so he had to abide by it.
If not

As memories of his past, which held no significance until he met Lyna, came rushing back, Smith’s eyes gleamed.
Yes. A crisis is an opportunity.
In the past, he had once asked Lyna,
“Why do you love me?”
He couldn’t comprehend Lyna’s infatuation with him, a mere prince with royal blood.
Among the many things Lyna had said back then, there was one statement that stood out.
“
Because I believe you’ll protect me.”
Lyna had expressed her belief that he would be her protector.
Perhaps it was a common hope shared by anyone in love.
Smith’s eyes flickered.
– I don’t like it anymore, whatever it is.
The memory of Lyna, who had rejected him with a coldness akin to a glacier, resurfaced in his mind.
It didn’t matter.
Even though he didn’t know the nature of the problem, if he could save her from a dire situation.
“Turn crisis into opportunity.”
“Huh? Your Highness?”
“Speak.”
“Huh?”
“What are the chances of surviving if the Black Tiger goes wild here?”
The hunter, who had been discussing ways to escape without provoking the Black Tiger, blinked in surprise.
Nevertheless, he answered Smith’s subsequent question, and upon hearing the response, Smith’s determination solidified.
Even though the Black Tiger was a dangerous creature, it had been captured as prey, and the hunters who captured it were present.
In the worst-case scenario, it was entirely possible to escape with Lyna by sacrificing everything else.
The image of Ainar, who had grown close to Lyna, flashed through Smith’s mind as he tightened his grip on his bow.
He had foolishly laughed it off, allowing it to happen.
And now, a knife was unexpectedly pointed at him from behind.
‘Without Lyna, you are nothing.’
As a twisted smile formed on Smith’s lips, his bowstring sang.
And now.
The mild pain emanating from the arrow lodged in its shoulder was sufficient to awaken the drowsy black tiger.
-ROOOORRRR.
-Whoosh!
Arrows soared through the air one after another.
However, these arrows were not aimed at striking the black tiger; their purpose was to divert its path. As a result, most of them simply got embedded in the ground.
Rumble!
The black tiger snorted, its eyes brimming with aggression.
It knew that bothersome things were approaching, one after another, in large numbers.
Yet, it refused to abandon the enticing scent that permeated the area and chose to disregard the distractions.
Thud.
As the black tiger rose and swiped its paw, the ground sank, and the grass beneath was trampled.
In the next moment, a potent aroma filled the air, causing the black tiger’s eyes to gleam with even more ferocity than before.
ROARRRRRR!
With a thunderous roar that shook the ground, the black tiger vanished from sight in an instant.
“Uh, uh-ah!”
A moment later, one of the hunters from the prince’s entourage let out a scream, but it was swiftly silenced.
The black tiger had no further interest in its trampled prey and swiftly lowered its body again.
“Where is it?”
“Shoot an arrow! Divert its path
!”
Despite its colossal size, the black tiger moved at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
“Ah-ah!”
“No way!”
Screams echoed through the air as someone swung a hunting knife at the black tiger, but the beast was already gone.
The resounding roar of the black tiger cut through the wind.
The scent of metal mingled with the aroma of blood and the delicate sweetness of grass, further fueling the beast’s aggression.
“The net! Use the iron net!”
“It’s too late! We should have set the trap!”
The black tiger sprinted at a dangerous pace, causing the hunters who had once captured it to feel dizzy.
In a corner of the chaos,
The First Prince, stuck in the middle with the black tiger and unable to go anywhere, gasped as the black tiger pounced.
“Uh-huh!”
Startled, the prince’s training kicked in, preventing him from collapsing or losing consciousness.
He swiftly ran in the opposite direction of the black tiger’s leap.
And there was Jane, standing alone.
Unlike the prince, she didn’t flee in the opposite direction or turn back.
Nor did she scream or faint.
Instead, she fixated her gaze on one spot, refusing to blink.
There was a day in her past when her adoptive mother, while brushing Jane’s hair, sighed and said,
“If you have a goal, you obsessively pursue it until you’re satisfied, and that worries me.”
Her mother’s words were partly true and partly false.
Jane indeed pursued her goals with unwavering dedication, but she never caused any of the concerns her mother had feared.
She had no intention of living foolishly, as her mother had worried.
Amidst the cacophony of screams and shouts, Jane quietly pursued her original objective.
To go or not to go.
What she sought now was a crucial part of her life’s purpose.
“There’s no other choice but to go.”
Jane’s hands were drenched in sweat from fear and tension, but she wiped them slowly on her skirt.
It would be sheer madness to run towards that place now.
The wisest decision would be to escape while the black tiger was not paying attention to her.
Yet, on the contrary

Isn’t it a golden opportunity when the black tiger is oblivious to her presence?
Suppressing the fear that threatened to overwhelm her, Jane clenched her teeth.
“I can’t
 let it slip away.”
The ingredient she sought, the one that could only be obtained now, here.
She worked tirelessly to return to her place, sought ways everywhere.
And now, barely, she had found the means to start. She couldn’t afford to wait until next year!
Instinctively, Jane propelled her shaky legs forward, racing towards the clearly visible ingredient amidst the trampled bushes left by the black tiger.
KRRROOOOAR!
The deafening roar of the colossal beast tore through the sky and reverberated in the earth, yet Lyna didn’t even flinch.
Her brows furrowed as she observed Jane blindly rushing towards the black tiger.
So, there’s something there.
Her icy blue eyes remained fixed on Jane.
Jane appeared to be unearthing something, crouching in the spot where the black tiger had settled, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings.
The distance was too great to discern exactly what Jane was doing, and getting closer wasn’t an option.
“Miss!”
“Miss, this way!”
Her escorts dutifully performed their roles, guiding Lyna towards the safest direction possible.
If she were to push them aside and approach Jane from here

No matter what actions she took, the worst outcome would likely unfold. However, there was a distinction between involving others in that worst scenario or not.
Before her regression, Lyna wouldn’t have hesitated to investigate what Jane was up to. That’s how conscious and obsessed she had been with Jane, who had entered her life as her “shadow.”
But the reason she was here now wasn’t solely because of “Jane” herself; it was also due to Becky, who seemed to be connected to Jane.
Therefore, there was no need to push her escorts off the cliff just to verify Jane’s actions.
Kuk.
“Hey, be careful!”
One of the escorts deflected a stray arrow and tightened their grip, while Lyna moved in unison with them.
Of course, she remained vigilant of her surroundings during this time.
Her watchful blue eyes swept over the retreating First Prince, Jane rushing towards the black tiger, Smith’s intense gaze fixed on her, searching for any trace of someone who wasn’t present.
After meticulously scrutinizing her unseen surroundings and sensing for any presence, Lyna inquired,
“Is there any indication of another group nearby?”