Feeling the air in the forest change, I blinked and gripped my mace tightly.
This was something I had never seen before.
I’m certain of it. This kind of event didn’t exist in the game.
It must be Ganshu, upset that his trial had been ruined, playing tricks.
I chuckled to myself, but at the same time, I felt cold sweat running down my spine.
Ganshu’s trials are not simple mini-games.
Everything that happens inside them is as real as it gets, and in the worst case, my life could truly be at risk.
So, I shouldn’t be happy about this situation in the slightest.
If someone had been with me like last time, I might’ve genuinely cursed Ganshu out.
Though, I couldn’t help but smile, the corner of my lips rising despite myself.
There’s no one here with me now.
The danger that exists here is entirely mine to face.
Any consequences I face from my actions will affect no one but me.
Crk.
Following the voice that came from behind me, I turned my head and saw a being that looked disturbingly similar to the fairy I had seen before.
The only difference now was that this one seemed darker and more grotesque.
Ah, and it also looked much stronger than the last one.
With that thought, I tightened my grip on the mace and saw the former fairy stretch out decaying wings.
Dust scattered from holes in the moth-like wings.
Though I had never seen anything like it before, one thing was clear.
That was certainly not something beneficial.
With that certainty, I spread my divine power around and created a protective area around me, using my shield as a focal point.
My choice was right.
The powder, filled with corrupting energy, couldn’t get close to me.
But at the same time, my choice was wrong.
My divine power, shining like the sun, was too out of place in this dark forest.
The creatures that once inhabited this forest could sense my divine presence and began to approach me one by one.
Crk.
Crk.
Crk.
The insect-like sounds came from all directions.
The sound of dragging legs.
The sound of wings, full of holes, fluttering in the air.
The sounds from all around me, growing louder, were enough to send a chill down my spine.
Crk?
I looked at the swarm of creatures emerging from the darkness and thought.
Dealing with one of them isn’t difficult. I can take on two easily enough.
But four?
Ten?
Anything more than that?
Can I do it?
I’m not a monster like Benedict!
I scanned the area with a cold gaze.
Aesthetic sense wouldn’t help here.
All I could hear was the disgusting screams.
But assessing weaknesses, that’s something I can do.
The weakness detection skill is allowing me to notice the gaps in their defenses.
This is why the skills the hero gave me are so much more useful.
Damn, that perverted crow god is completely useless.
It’s pathetic; all it can do is snarl.
The direction that weakness detection pointed out had three former fairies lurking there.
They were positioned so threateningly that even normal people would hesitate to attack.
But I trusted the weakness detection.
Hoo.
Let’s go.
Thud.
The moment I took a step forward, a screeching sound echoed from the fairy-like creatures' swarm.
A multitude of attacks designed to eliminate anything that seemed out of place or unnatural.
I watched the trajectories of all the attacks while deciding how to move in my mind.
One.
I released my divine power and shattered the attacks surrounding me.
Two.
I dashed full force toward what seemed like a gap.
Three.
I didn’t stop, even when attacks were aimed directly at me. I made sure the attacks targeted only the space I had just vacated.
Four.
When I reached the gap, I charged forward, raising my shield and plunging into them.
The former fairies were powerful beings, but they had been corrupted by the Evil God’s dark energy.
As such, they were powerless in the face of my divine power.
Wham!
One of the former fairies’ bodies was sent flying, smashing into my shield, and a gap opened up.
I trampled over the body of the fallen enemy and broke through the encirclement, running deeper into the forest’s shadows.
Think.
Ganshu’s trial is still a trial.
There has to be a way out.
Ganshu, who had endured my defiance, wouldn’t kill me by doing something drastic, right?
Right?
With the Mesugaki skills clouding my mind, I wouldn’t go as far as saying, “You die, and I die.”
Grandpa is with me too—there’s no way such a catastrophe will happen. It can’t.
Anyway, assuming there’s a way out, the first step is to understand what this forest is.
If I understand the location, I can find clues based on that knowledge.
Thwack!
I blocked another attack with my shield and clicked my tongue as I saw a pair of red eyes beyond the darkness.
Damn it. No time to think.
Is my divine power that obvious?
But if I withdraw it, I feel like I’ll get devoured by the darkness and die.
The sturdy shield and my expertise in shield skills guided me as the vibrations of the shield filled my ears.
I hadn’t noticed it.
I hadn’t realized it.
The attack pierced through my senses.
The power of darkness.
A place connected to the Evil God of Darkness.
Considering that Ganshu created this trial, this must be a historical event related to the Evil God of Darkness.
The Evil God of Darkness. The forest. The fairies.
All of these elements point to one thing.
The Evil God of Darkness’s corruption of the Fairy Queen’s forest.
I remembered the scene I saw beyond the monitor and unconsciously tightened my lips.
I hardly know anything about that forest.
The forest where the Fairy Queen lived became a place where no life could exist after being overtaken by the Evil God of Darkness.
In the game, that place was designated off-limits, so how could I possibly know anything about it?
But I know how to deal with a place corrupted by the power of darkness.
Thwack!
I blocked yet another attack, then jumped into the air to avoid a tree root trying to catch my ankle.
Now, I just need to figure out where this trial ends.
Several possibilities appeared in my mind.
Each of them had its own reasoning and its own doubts.
If I were still behind a monitor, I’d probably have folded my arms and thought it through.
“...Tsk.”
The deeper my thoughts went, the slower my reactions became.
The arrow made from tree roots grazed my cheek.
I felt the sharp pain and blood trickling down.
Hah.
Of course.
With an intelligence of 58, what kind of thoughts do I expect to have?
I emptied my mind and focused on where my instincts led me.
My instincts immediately answered my doubts.
The place where the Fairy Queen would be.
The most dangerous place in this forest.
I was told to go there.
I let out a bitter laugh.
Going to meet the Fairy Queen, overtaken by the Evil God of Darkness, was madness.
There was no hope for a miracle in this place. If I met her, I would die right there.
I thought of the horrific scene, yet I moved forward, trusting my instincts.
In a place where I knew nothing, this was the only thing I could rely on.
With each step I took, the corrupting energy grew stronger.
With each step forward, the attacks targeting me became more vicious.
With each step, the sounds around me became more ominous.
With each breakthrough, more wounds were added to my body.
The "what ifs."
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The doubts about what could go wrong.
The fear that reminded me of death.
Gradually.
Gradually.
It was eating away at me.
Ignoring the rising thoughts in my mind, I once again realized Grandpa’s absence.
The voice that used to give me certainty when I felt uneasy was once loud in my ears.
When I go back, I’ll make sure to properly thank him.
He’ll probably complain about it being too sudden, but knowing him, he won’t hate it.
I gathered my thoughts and moved forward again.
If the pressure around me increases, I’ll just push back harder.
Forward.
Forward.
And forward again!
The moment my feet landed at the center of the forest, the attacks that had been directed at me vanished, as if in a lie.
The air that had been pressing down on me. The sounds filling my ears.
The attacks aimed at my neck.
The strange powder swirling around me.
In the sudden silence, I didn’t stop questioning.
This forest had been overtaken by the Evil God of Darkness.
The sudden peace wasn’t the end of the trial, but likely a passage to an even greater challenge.
“I never thought you’d be this cute.”
The voice that cut through my sharp doubts was a woman’s, filled with confusion.
“I thought for sure a hero would have come.”
The woman, exuding a mysterious aura, was bound to a decaying tree root corrupted by dark power.
When I enhanced my sight with divine power, I saw her energy being absorbed by the roots.
“Excuse me?”
“What’s wrong? You smell like a chicken coop, old lady.”
“Chicken coop...?”
It was obvious who she was, even though she seemed unsure how to respond.
In a forest of fairies, there could only be one being with an adult form.
The Fairy Queen.
She was once hunted by heroes after being consumed by the Evil God of Darkness. Now, in this trial, she could only let out an awkward laugh.