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Chapter 104 The Heart of the Forest
Chapter 104 The Heart of the Forest
Compared to the other two tunnels, this one leading into the heart of the forest is particularly long and narrow.
It takes about a day to walk from the outer perimeter to the edge of the hinterland, even on the road, let alone digging a tunnel.
If the tunnel were dug as wide as other tunnels, the construction time would be several times longer.
This is already a massive undertaking.
It symbolizes the superior architectural skills of the kobolds and their survival philosophy of being prepared for danger.
And now, it is the hope for Cyrion's team to be reborn.
The team walked for a long time, but they didn't know how long they had walked.
Without changes in light and temperature, they were like patients deprived of their five senses underground.
"What time is it now?"
Wilder suddenly asked a question.
"It should be evening by now," Gru replied.
Lyle glanced back at him: "How did you know?"
"Because I'm hungry," he said, rubbing his stomach.
Lyle turned back without saying anything.
Although it sounds like a joke, Gru's timekeeping method is actually quite reliable in this case.
"Eat while walking when you're hungry."
Cyrion shouted from behind, "The air in the tunnel is limited; we can't stay here."
The team hadn't considered staying overnight before setting off, so they didn't bring many supplies, some of which were even taken from the corpses of adventurers in Danube City.
Maeve had no supplies at all, and it was Gru who kindly handed her a piece of jerky.
One bite, and the strong, fishy smell went straight to the top of my head.
"What... what kind of meat is this?" she asked.
The shopkeeper said it was beef.
Gru chuckled and said, "But considering the price of ten for one silver coin, I guess he mixed in some goblin meat, since they're all dark red."
"vomit!"
This was already the umpteenth time Maeve had felt nauseous in a day.
If she hadn't been in the border forest, she probably would have been treated with the courtesy due to a pregnant woman.
The team continued their journey, carrying heavy packs.
When Gru once again pulled out a disgusting piece of jerky from his pocket, the team guessed it was already past midnight.
After a full day of fighting and running, they were exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and hot.
And now, drowsiness is creeping in.
This is harder to resist than any other negative state.
Even Lyle, who was usually the most alert, started pecking at the rice like a chick and nodding repeatedly.
"Little guy, do you know how to use the [Water Ball] spell?"
Gru mumbled groggily, "Give me a go, it'll wash off the sweat and wake me up."
"You should thank me for not knowing."
Wilder remembered it as a level three spell, quite powerful. "If I knew it, we would have drowned here."
""
"How about I give it a try?"
Maeve spoke up, "Come closer to me."
As she spoke, she put her two little hands together in front of her chest, making a triangle shape.
Wisps of golden fluff appeared in the dark tunnel, like drifting fireflies, lingering around the group.
[Blessing Spell]
Slightly increases the target's constitution and agility.
While it wasn't exactly the right treatment, it did reduce the group's sleepiness.
"Well done."
As the captain, Cyrion praised him sincerely.
"Thanks."
Maeve was happy, feeling that she had done something within her power.
The team continued onward.
When Gru complained again that he was hungry but had no goblin jerky left, they guessed that it was already morning.
From afternoon to dawn.
The dawn is no longer just an image; it is truly just around the corner.
The team quickened their pace.
The first to realize that they were almost at the cave entrance was neither Lyle, with his exceptional eyesight, nor Joffrey, with his keen hearing.
It was Wilder.
In a fleeting moment when he looked up, he suddenly noticed that the magical network in his field of vision had become denser.
The shimmering light used to be like individual threads, but now it's like a boundless, densely packed net.
He had heard his mentor, Hollen, mention that it was the high concentration of magical energy in the heartland that nurtured the crystals within high-level demonic objects.
"We'll be there soon."
He said softly.
Before anyone else could react, a ray of morning light, visible to everyone, slanted into the tunnel.
Then, a gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the scent of dew-laden grass.
After walking a few more steps—
A bright tunnel exit appeared before everyone.
We've arrived deep in the forest.
This is the heart of the forest that breeds powerful monsters, a forbidden zone for adventurers on the edge of the world, and an ancient holy land that holds countless rare treasures.
The trees are taller, the foliage is thicker, and even the scent of grass in the air is more fragrant.
There's also a dense network of magic, as thick as a fishing net, that only a mage's eyes can see.
"Damn it, we're finally here!"
Gru crawled out of the cave, straightened his back like the others, and stretched.
They did this because the tunnel was low and narrow, but for Gru, it was quite easy for him to do this underground.
"Don't make the sound too loud."
Cyrion reminded him, "We're in terrible shape. If we attract a high-level monster, things will likely turn out badly."
"Let's find a place to rest first. It's dangerous to travel after staying up all night," Lyle suggested.
"Um."
Cyrion nodded and looked around.
The kobolds were quite particular about where they chose the exit when digging tunnels.
This is at the very bottom of the back of a low slope, where the tall trees that rise steadily up the slope provide natural cover, enough to obscure the view.
But we can't rest here.
Although they destroyed the central hall and the two entrances to the forest before leaving the underground lair, there was still a risk that the group would follow them up through the tunnel.
Sleeping in front of the exit means you're destined for unrest.
"Let's go."
Cyrion picked up his luggage again. "Let's find a safer place."
The team continued their journey.
Half an hour later, after deliberately taking several turns in the dense forest, they finally found a fairly good spot.
This is a small valley surrounded by dense forests, offering excellent seclusion.
"Joffrey, go scout the area first and see if there are any monsters or other dangers."
Cyrion began assigning tasks: "Lyle, you have the association's atlas, right? You can confirm our current location so we can plan our route back to town later."
"Gru, let's go find a water source and see if we can find some food while we're at it."
"Maeve stayed behind to pack her bags and set up camp."
"Wild".
Finally, he looked at the only mage in the team, "I remember you're almost out of mana, right? You're in charge of resting and restoring your mana."
"Uh... okay."
Wilder scratched his head and smiled.
There's nothing we can do about it; this is a privilege reserved exclusively for mages.
And he really did—
and many more.
Wilder suddenly felt something was off and immediately tried to mobilize the magic power within his body.
Before setting off, Maeve used Arcane Restoration to restore some of his mana, but she had used it all up while disposing of the body.
But now, he unexpectedly discovered that his magical power had recovered by more than half.
and--
It is still recovering at an extremely rapid pace.