The wind is getting colder as I got deeper into the forest. I counted at least 33 White Howler I hunted already but I did not manage to even get the item I was looking for. I keep on whispering to myself that it was just the RNG f*cking up my luck and it's not my fault. Although I haven't hunted much just yet, it's pretty annoying when the item you needed does not drop whatever sh*t you do.
Perhaps I remember it wrong and the item does not drop at all? Nope, no way. I clearly remembered that I hunted this same monster to get that item in the past timeline as well and I managed to receive it after the dedication and hunting the White Howlers on a large scale.
I just shook my head and continue to hunt. There is no way that thing won't drop if I kill at least 300 of these White Howlers. If they don't drop at all, then I have to find an alternative that is much easier to find or do something about it.
Continuing my hunt for the White Howlers, I got a lingering feeling that someone or something was watching me in the shadows. I can't detect it with my current passives; even the new skills do not reveal any of this possible stalker. I can also tell that there is only one stalker currently tailing me as only one pair of eyes is looking at me. Of course, not counting the constant stare of the entity who continues to stare at me to this day that I just decided not to care and forget as there is nothing that seemed to be connected to this guy.
Still, it kinda made me a bit worried. What if I am imagining things? If the system does not detect it, does that mean I am just imagining things and the stare I am feeling from this stalker is something that does not exist to begin with? No, no. Perhaps there is indeed one but it's just not in my radius of detection which is why I cannot detect this guy at all.
Anyways, seeing as the person is not doing anything that would impede what I am doing, I should let it be for now.
Now, let's go back to killing these White Howlers and try to find the item I am looking for. I have no time to worry about some random stalker, I needed to get this done so I can finish it. So what if that guy stares? I will have to defeat them if they are someone who will try and harm me.
I spotted another White Howler. I nock the bow and aim for the arrow. The White Howler seems to have noticed the danger and immediately dodged my first arrow but I already have a plan if the first arrow misses by loading a second arrow and shooting in a direction that I predicted the White Howler would land on.
"KIK!" the White Howler could only make a small sound as the arrow pierces through the body and killed it instantly.
I approached it and looked at the drops that I needed and to my delight, the item that I needed, [Skin of the Screaming Monkey] one of the drops that appeared on the loot. Who would have thought that I would get it below 100 White Howlers and even below 50? Either I used up all my luck on this one, or I am just one lucky bastard right now.
After I butcher the carcass of the White Howler, I think I am done in here. Time to go back to work and deal with the next creation that we needed for the next attack.
Returning from where I came from, I followed the path that I know should be the right path to reach the outside. However, I soon realize that I am not walking into the exit but walking away from it. I frowned. I am quite sure about it as I have memorized the path that I came from and although I went deep into the Everfrost Forest, I didn't enter the deepest area of this forest as there is a chance I might meet an area boss that lives here. I don't have time to deal with bosses and I will have to continue moving forward.
Seeing that I am somewhat lost... I decided to make some markings in the forest. Making a map in this dense forest without any kind of good landmark is not ideal as that only makes the forest harder to map around as I can't just put on trees on the map and a pathway that does not directly follow into the current way. The only way to make sure that I don't get lost is to keep making markings every 5 trees I passed through. And no markings are the same.
I also thought about flying above the forest as I can fly without the need of Leona, but the moment I tried to do so, I felt like lead and flying is hard. It was like I was carrying a load of weight that I cannot carry easily, causing me to not even float a little bit. It's hard and I struggled on doing so. In the end, I have to go on foot and I don't have any chance to go the easy way.
There is also the Teleportation but the moment I tear a Teleportation scroll, the spell is canceled, and the scroll that I tear to two returns into one whole piece once more.
And so, I continue to move in the forest and waddle through the snow, make a mark on the nearby tree, then move on and find another tree.
But then, I can feel the stare getting intense. The cold air started to feel much colder and even with my coat reducing the cold temperature to a bearable degree, the temperature is still dropping.
Then, I realized something. Although I have not experienced it in the past timeline, the legend of this forest is about the Yuki-Onna. The Yuki-Onna here in this legend is someone who grants wishes to some people in the mountains in exchange for equal value. She is benevolent when treated right, but violent to those who dare not fulfill the promise or those she thinks to only bring malice and do evil. Which is why she killed the husband whom the wife begged to be killed in the first place. She wouldn't have killed the wife if she have only fulfilled giving something of an equal exchange from doing so. But since the wife decided to run away instead of giving the natural payment, the Yuki-Onna decided that the life of the wife would suffice as payment.
Perhaps the stares I have been getting in the first place were coming from her? That explains the cold air I have been feeling for quite a while. And since this is technically her territory, that also means she is the main reason I seemed to be circling around the forest and I cannot exist at all.
"I meant no harm, Yuki-Onna. I know this is your territory and I entered it without asking for permission but I will ask for permission to leave. I hunt some monsters, I didn't leave any carcass left lying on the snow, I cleaned up the mess I made, and didn't hurt that many of the creatures living here. I apologize if I have offended you in some way, but I ask you to grant me passage to exit this forest."
"Oh? A polite human. What a surprise. Usually, they will be rude people and will try to trash around and make vandalism on the surroundings. Although you did carve on the trees using your weapon a few times while walking, I can understand that you are doing that so that you don't get lost while traversing the forest. And I didn't expect that you will know that I am the one who is causing this trouble to you."
"So it was indeed you're doing that I am currently wandering here and lost?" I asked calmly. I don't want to agitate her.
"Yes. After all, you killed so many monsters for some reason, gutted them and gathered them, and stopped when you seemed to have found something."
"I apologized if I hunted a lot of those creatures. I have to get something from them and I have to hunt them down to get it."
"No need to apologize, I wasn't a fan of them either anyways. They are noisy and just irks me enough that if they aren't immune to my abilities, I would have dealt with them a long time ago."
Oh yeah, the White Howlers are immune to ice magic and any kind of ice element affinity attacks. It's not a wonder why they are alive here in the forest, its because this is a perfect habitat for them.
"So, what is your deal? I have seen many people enter and exit this forest but this is the first time I have seen someone who seemed very well-versed in this place and seems to know what he is doing despite being someone new here. You can say I am somewhat curious on you."
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om