105. Interlude: Welcome to the Enchanted Forest! <Spirit Tree>
The group, their hearts filled with unease, ventured beyond the safe zone's border and entered the Enchanted Forest. Among them, Logan alone sensed a twisting sensation in the space, allowing their passage into the zone. The unsettling experience left him feeling nauseated, and as his vision blurred, Lara swiftly caught him, preventing his collapse.
"Heh~ You're too weak to handle the spatial rift, yet you call yourself a man, hmph!" Louise continued her banter while Logan took his time to catch his breath.
On the inside, however, Louise was astounded. "How did he manage it?" she wondered. "Is Danika right? Even with his soul being more than halfway injured, he still endured the spatial shift. What is this guy?!" Louise kept her inner thoughts concealed, maintaining her poker face and allowing Logan to rest.
After a while, Louise suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and one more thing," she said just as Logan began feeling better.
"We can't enter the safe zone until we've spent three full days inside the Enchanted Forest." Louise stuck out her tongue and winked, acknowledging her silly oversight.
"It's been so long since I last visited this place that I forgot a rule or two." Her statement halted everyone in their tracks.
"What do you mean?" Logan asked, his anger evident in his eyes.
"I mean what I mean," Louise replied, meeting Logan's gaze without flinching. "If we have to arrive here within three days and also cannot enter the safe zone before three days... Don't you find it contradictory?" Logan struggled to control his anger.
He was weary of Louise's casual treatment of something so crucial. Revealing the rule only after they had crossed the safe zone's border.
"It's simple, turn around," Louise remarked, and everyone looked back.
"Huh?" Disbelief painted their faces.
"Where did the safe zone go?!" Lisa panicked.
"Surprise!" Louise exclaimed, irritating the entire party.
"So, as I was saying, the safe zone will reappear after a day. However, the condition for it to reappear is surviving at least three days here. It's a rule designed to limit entry into the Enchanted Forest," Louise explained.
"But... wasn't this mission ranked as <C>?" Logan inquired, still in shock.
"Oh, come on! Do you think the potential man of prophecy would be assigned a meager task to prove his worth? Don't tell me you're that naive," Louise's voice brought everyone back to reality.
"To be honest, we never expected you to pass the Council Hall's trial in the first place. So, as directed by the Council Hall, we presented you with tasks that you 'CAN' accomplish." Louise's wicked smile and sinister gaze revealed her true intentions.
"So, I, Louise Fontana, the general of the Dark Elf army and your guide, welcome you to your trial!" Louise exclaimed. "The lands where no one can survive, ferocious beasts that show no mercy, and those who underestimate it meet their demise immediately. It's a place second only to hell! The Enchanted Forest!" Louise spread her arms wide and laughed like a demon.
Bam! Just as if on cue, a loud crash accompanied by the sound of breaking branches behind Louise caught everyone's attention.
"Kraaaa!" On the ground lay a giant bird. It had a golden beak sharp enough to shred flesh like paper, with a massive head covered in white feathers. Its outer body was adorned in brown feathers, while its inner body, like its head, was dirty due to the fall. The bird had four limbs, each equipped with sharp, deadly claws. It seemed like a hybrid of an animal and a bird.
"Kraaa!" The bird cried again, gazing menacingly in a particular direction.
"Awooo!" It stood up, bracing itself for the imminent danger.
Logan watched the scene unfold, unable to believe what happened next.
Before them appeared a creature resembling a wolf, but larger and more menacing.
The bird spread its wings wide, attempting to intimidate the wolf while preparing to strike at any moment.
"That's a Barghest, and that bird is Galewing. A massive one," Louise explained. Her eyes sparkled as she observed the fight. "Just don't make a sound if you want to survive," she added.
The Galewing and Barghest growled at each other.
In an instant, they lunged, engaging in a fierce battle for survival.
The Galewing's eyes glowed as it let out a howl.
Snap! The sound of bones cracking echoed through the forest.
"Awoo!" The Barghest cried out in pain as one of its limbs was severed by a mysterious force.
"That's telekinesis," Louise whispered.
The Barghest opened its mouth, and a dark purple ball formed within.
"That's a spirit strike," Louise provided detailed information, despite her previous instruction for the group to remain silent. Logan thought she was being hypocritical.
"Kraaa!" The Galewing attempted to flee but was not fortunate.
It was later observed that its left wing had been severed, hanging by a few remaining veins.
Bam! The Barghest unleashed a laser-like attack, cleanly slicing the bird in half.
The lifeless body of the bird plummeted to the ground. Surprisingly, the Barghest did not make any attempt to flee.
Exhausted, the Barghest collapsed on the forest floor, howling in pain. It had not emerged from the battle unscathed.
"So, what should we do now?" Logan asked in a hushed voice, expecting Louise to give orders to finish off the now weakened Barghest.
"Shh!" Louise replied, signaling to look ahead.
Suddenly, Logan noticed something peculiar. The Barghest was struggling to move, but it was futile.
"It's about to happen any moment now," Louise said, excitement evident in her voice.
"Hm?" Logan's eyes widened as he closely examined the Barghest.
"Are those roots?" Louise nodded and waited patiently.
They didn't have to wait long before, in the next second,
"Awoooooooooo!" The Barghest let out its final cry.
Suddenly, spiky roots wrapped tightly around the Barghest, pulling it closer.
The sound of cracking bones reverberated through the forest. Logan and the group bore witness to one of the most disturbing scenes they had ever seen.
The Barghest's body twisted, and all the flesh and blood seeped out, spilling onto the ground.
"There it is!" Louise exclaimed with joy. Another pair of roots emerged, coiling around the Galewing's corpse.
Twisting it like a wet cloth, the roots tore the corpse into chunks of meat. The process lasted a while, and the group watched it unfold until the very end.
A tree, three times taller than Logan, adorned with red leaves and a dark trunk, consumed the meat and bones through its roots.
Once it had eaten its fill, the tree returned to its upright position, as if nothing had happened.
The peaceful atmosphere returned to the forest. Although blood still stained the ground, along with small chunks of meat and tattered skin, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Oh, and that was a Spirit Tree," Louise giggled as she observed the pale faces of everyone.
"They are so adept at disposing of corpses," she commented, walking closer to the bodies of the Barghest and Galewing.
"Oh great Spirit Tree, may I take the two cores of the beasts you devoured?" Louise spoke in elven language with utmost politeness.
The Spirit Tree responded with a wave of its branches.
"Thank you for your kindness!" She bowed, reached down, and picked up the bloodied monster core of the Barghest.
"This is it! It's a <B>-rank monster core!" she exclaimed. "And another one!" She chimed as she retrieved the core of the Galewing, placing them both inside her spatial ring. Her joy knew no bounds.
"Ah! This feels refreshing~ So, how are you all feeling now?" Louise asked after a while, as nobody had spoken.
"Hehe~ I know you're all excited about the Arboreal Balls~ So don't worry and keep a smile on your face!" Her expression resembled that of a wicked witch.
"Although this place may not seem wholesome, the rewards are nothing short of extravagant," she added with a wink, before starting to walk again.
"Why the sad face? Just stay with me, and you won't have any problems," Louise said, flipping her hair.
"Once again, welcome to the Enchanted Forest!" The forest was terrifying, but being with Louise was even more terrifying.
Logan remained silent, carefully observing and processing everything around him. This kind of situation wasn't uncommon in Ventra.
The strong preyed upon the weak. While Logan was initially taken aback, now was not the time for surprise. His group was understandably tense after witnessing the earlier scene, but it was to be expected.
In this world, there were already beings like him—demons—who were far more wicked and cruel.
Logan knew he had to survive this trial until the very end. For better or worse, he remained calm. The disturbing sight had not greatly affected his state of mind.
Instead, he felt a stronger throbbing in his core ever since witnessing the fight between the Barghest and Galewing. It was as if some of his restrictions had been lifted, and his thoughts were clearer than before. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"This might be exhilarating," he thought.
If beasts like the ones before were to appear again, Logan was eager to face them.
"Wait... Wasn't this excitement a manifestation of my demonic nature?" Logan's thoughts paused briefly before returning to normal.
He looked at Louise, who walked ahead with a gleeful smile. Her face resembled that of a wicked witch ready to torment her subjects.
That day, Logan made a vow. Once he regained his strength, Louise would be the first woman to face his wrath.
...
(A?N: Read the Author's Thoughts)
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