I scanned my eyes over the scrolls spread across the mission board, analyzing each one carefully. This was my first mission outside the tower, so I needed to choose something simple to test my armor and adapt to the outside world.
Most missions involved hunting creatures, protecting explorer acolytes, or exploring ruins, all with high danger levels. That wasn’t what I was looking for right now.
That’s when a specific scroll caught my attention.
["Mission: Ingredient Collection for an Alchemist"]
["Level: Moderate Reward: 5 magic crystals."]
["Description: Collect specific ingredients listed on the scroll and return."]
["Rank: Common."]
I picked up the scroll and quickly compared it to the other missions around it. The difference was absurd. Even simple hunting missions offered at least 40 magic crystals.
Five crystals just to leave the tower and risk my life in the middle of the forest?
Definitely not worth it.
But… I wasn’t here to get rich.
I was here to gain experience.
With a sigh, I took the scroll and headed to the mission registration counter.
Behind the counter, there was an ethereal creature, a ghost-like being floating gently above the stone surface. Its eyes were glowing blue orbs, and its body wavered like a flame in the wind.
This creature reminded me of the spectral attendant in the miners’ cavern inside the tower.
I placed the scroll before it.
The specter didn’t hesitate for a second. It simply glided over the counter, took the scroll, and, without expression, spoke in a cold, echoing voice: "Mission registered."
A moment later, a new scroll appeared in its translucent hands, and it handed it to me.
"This contains detailed information on the required ingredients."
I took the scroll and quickly stored it. But before I could step away, the specter spoke again: "Return password: Argon Vermillion."
I nodded. That was important to remember.
The tower had defense statues at its entrance that would attack anyone trying to enter without the correct password. If I returned without it, I could be annihilated before even explaining the situation.
Taking a deep breath, I looked toward the tower’s exit and began walking.
Holding the mission scroll firmly, I strode forward.
As I walked through the corridors illuminated by the tower’s magical light, I lifted the yellowed scroll before my eyes. The letters engraved on its surface, along with images, were firm and precise, listing the ingredients I needed to find. But memorizing everything would be a waste of time.
I took a deep breath and issued a mental command: "Virtual Laboratory. Record the information and activate the scanning field. Notify me if anything with over 80% similarity is detected."
["Beep!"]
The familiar sound echoed in my mind, and immediately, an invisible wave expanded around me. The search mode was successfully activated, creating a 360-degree sensory field around my body. This system would allow any ingredient similar to those listed on the scroll to be automatically identified as soon as it entered the scan radius.
["Search mode successfully activated."]
Now, I no longer had to worry about recognizing each plant or reagent on my own.
I continued walking toward the tower’s main exit. The massive central door stood before me, opening slowly with a creaking sound as its internal mechanisms activated.
As soon as I stepped outside, the heat of the sun struck my body.
The shift in environment was immediate and intense. Inside the tower, the atmosphere was always warm and artificial, maintained by ancient spells. But out here, the heat was alive, real, pulsating.
My eyes quickly adjusted to the new brightness. In front of me, a vast white staircase stretched downward, cutting through the mountain toward the dense green forest that surrounded the base of the tower.
The breeze carried the scent of earth, leaves, and moisture, a stark contrast to the controlled environment I had just left.
I took a deep breath, feeling the difference.
As soon as I descended the stairs, I noticed it.
The rocky trail stretched ahead, winding and treacherous, leading me deeper into the heart of the magical forest.
The air was humid and carried a strong earthy and vegetal scent. Life was everywhere, but it wasn’t the kind of life that gave me a sense of security.
The small, thick trees had strange shapes, like twisted cones, while creeping plants covered the ground with spiraling leaves, curling upon themselves in an almost hypnotic manner. Vines hung from the branches, brushing against the top of my helmet as I passed. Mystical flowers, with petals as large as vases, glowed faintly in the dim forest light, exuding a sweet yet nauseating aroma.
But none of this fooled me.
Every plant, every shadow, could be a deadly trap.
I already knew the stories.
Acolytes who dared step off the path were swallowed by the living vegetation and never seen again.
Those short and simple-looking trees, for example, were lethal.
If someone got close enough, the branches would expand in an instant, like mechanical arms, grabbing anything nearby. And then…
The blood rattans would come into play.
These hanging vines would coil around the victim’s body, embedding microscopic thorns that pierced the skin with ease. Blood would start to be drained, drop by drop, while the prey struggled in vain.
Once the flesh and bones were completely drained, the remains would become fertilizer, feeding the reddish soil beneath these demonic trees.
If someone were brave enough to dig into that soil, they would find piles of skeletons—human and animal—intertwined in the earth as if they were being devoured even in death.
The reason these murderous trees were kept around the tower was simple: natural defense and the harvesting of magical materials.
The roots of these trees, if extracted correctly, were valuable ingredients, while the blood sacs within the rattans could be turned into fortifying tonics for Acolytes with weak constitutions.
But collecting them was a suicide mission for anyone who didn’t know what they were doing.
Many had already died trying, and the few who returned brought back stories that would make anyone hesitate.
So, I kept walking along the trail, not stepping a single foot off it.
That’s when I felt it.
The forest seemed to come alive around me.
Branches twisted, the rattans swayed subtly, and the roots slithered beneath the earth, slowly creeping toward the path.
It was the scent.
The scent of my flesh and blood.
To these plants, I was a walking feast.
But instead of reacting, I simply pretended not to notice.
There was no need to panic. Even without the Virtual Laboratory’s analysis, I could sense their movements.
They were slow.
At least, until their prey got close enough—then they would be anything but harmless.
The real question was… was something faster than them watching me too?
I moved forward, keeping my senses sharp.
After several more cautious minutes along the trail, I veered off the main path, heading toward a smooth rock positioned over a small waterfall. The sound of rushing water echoed softly through the area, while shimmering droplets reflected the sunlight.
As I got closer, my vision automatically adjusted.
["Beep!"]
The Virtual Laboratory flashed on my interface, highlighting something near the base of the waterfall.
["Ingredient detected: Blue Water Flower. Condition: Excellent."]
I smiled at the notification. First mission item found.
Taking a few more steps forward, I approached, the servomechanisms in my armor adjusting with each movement. But the moment I reached out my hand, a new notification flashed red.
["BEEP! DANGER!"]
["Jump to the side."]
Without hesitation, I executed the maneuver instantly.
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"VROOOM!"
The reactor in my chest roared to life, fueling the gears and activating the hydraulic springs in my robotic legs. My joints tensed, and then I shot sideways like lightning, leaping with impressive speed.
"SCHHHH!"
A jet of acidic spit struck the spot where I had been a second earlier, melting the rock and sending up a plume of smoke instantly.
I cursed under my breath, a grin forming on my face.
"Son of a bitch..."
I turned toward the direction of the attack, the Virtual Laboratory sensors quickly pinpointing the threat.
There it was.
A Venomous Land Shark.
The creature was an unusual predator, with a long, sturdy body covered in dark, damp scales. Its eyes were small and sunken, but its teeth… those serrated teeth were a nightmare given form.
But, strangely, it didn’t attack immediately.
Its eyes studied my armor, as if trying to determine whether I was easy prey or not.
I noticed something in its gaze: hesitation.
The bastard was intimidated by my speed and reflexes.
A deep growl rumbled from its throat.
"ROARR~~"
The shark began moving around me, gliding slowly over the rocky ground, circling me like a predator testing its target.
It was studying my reaction.
I simply grinned like a demon, the visor of my helmet reflecting the waterfall’s light.
"Looks like I’ll be eating shark meat today."
My hand lifted, the mechanisms of the MG-Tyrant 001 Machine Gun preparing to fire.
Let’s see who the real predator is here.
...
1514 Words