The soldiers’ eyes went wide.
“So you are an otherworlder? Huh. You don’t look much different than us. However, your level is truly lacking. I do not know what makes you think you can help, but the mayor is pretty desperate right now. I am sure he’ll accept all the help he can get,” one of the soldiers said. He was a stiff-looking man with blond locks of hair sticking out of his steel helmet.
Adam bristled at being called weak, but he knew that compared to these people with their level 40 status, he was indeed much weaker than them.
Titania huffed. “Do not be deceived by this man’s level. Even though he is technically weaker than either of you, his combat prowess far surpasses anyone of his level. You would do well not to underestimate him.”
The two soldiers looked at Titania in shock.
“T-t-t-tiny fairy! Why is there such a tiny fairy?! Why is she so small?!”
“Have members of the Fairy Clan shrunk?! Is that why they disappeared thousands of years ago?! Did they all become pint-sized?!”
“There’s no need to be rude!”
Titania’s face turned bright red as she stomped on the air like she was stomping on the ground. Adam imagined she wished she could stomp on their faces.
The two soldiers let him and Titania through after that small interlude. They opened the gates for them. Titania went back to sitting on his shoulder as he walked up to the large double doors. Another guard at the entrance knocked once, then spoke with someone on the other side, who opened the door and allowed Adam inside.
An old butler by the name of Geeves asked Adam to follow him. Of course, this was only after panicking over the small fairy sitting on his shoulder. He led Adam and the vexed Titania to a small wooden door, which he knocked on once.
“Master, an otherworlder and his… companion have arrived,” Geeves said. “They wish to discuss the matter regarding your son.”
“Send them in,” someone grunted from the other side.
Geeves held the door open and allowed Adam and Titania inside. The room on the other side was in no way opulent, but it was nice. Soft carpet covered the floor, bookshelves rested against the walls, and an older gentleman with graying sideburns sat behind a desk. He looked to be in the middle of his life, had a decent enough build, and sat with his back straight, but it was clear from his prominent gut that he wasn’t in as good a shape as he used to be.
“You must be the otherworlder Geeves spoke of.” The mayor, whose name was listed as Derek Waterton, pressed his hands on the desk and stood up. He looked at Adam, then at Titania. His eyes widened. “Is that a fairy?! Why is she so small?!”
Adam had to really resist face palming at the moment. He hoped this wouldn’t happen every time they met a new person. It was funny enough the first time, but now it was getting annoying. He honestly, truly, fervently hoped people would stop freaking out every time they saw Titania, and he was certain she felt the same way.
“You people are incredibly rude,” Titania denounced this man and everyone else who met them. “Must you all overreact like this? And why are you making fun of my height? Don’t you know you are never supposed to make fun of a woman or even mention her height?”
“I think it’s actually a woman’s age that you’re not supposed to mention,” Adam corrected.
“Quiet, you.”
“My apologies.” The mayor wiped some sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. “It has just been thousands of years since we humans have seen a fairy before. The only depictions we have of fairies these days are all in books. You match the book’s description to a T, but every book we have on fairies say that members of the Fairy Clan are the same size as us humans.”
“Well… I suppose I can forgive you,” Titania groused. “You are not wrong about members of the Fairy Clan being the size of humans, but that is only for fairies over level 50.”
“I will remember that in the future,” the mayor said.
“Anyway, why don’t you tell us about this problem.” Adam smoothly shifted topics. “The person I spoke to said your son has been poisoned?”
Now that Adam had brought up the reason for their visit, the mayor’s expression became distressed as he spoke. “That is correct. My son was out hunting with some of his friends, but they ended up traveling deep into the Forest of Gloom, which is about fifty klicks from here. We do not know what happened. The man who found my son said he only spoke a few fragmented sentences before collapsing. His friends were not with them. We assume they are dead, and my son has not woken up once since he was brought home.”
“What did he say?” asked Adam.
“Forest. Temple. Spiders.”
It sounded to Adam like there was some kind of spider monster in the Forest of Gloom, which poisoned the mayor’s son and his friends.
“I assume you need someone to look for the antidote,” Adam said.
The Mayor nodded. “That is correct. The doctor here in Watershore is rather infamous as an eccentric but talented doctor. He said the only thing that can cure my son’s poison is a flower called the [Panacea Flower], which grows in the deepest parts of the Forest of Gloom. If you can find this flower and bring it to me, I would be very grateful. However, you will have to be fast. The doctor said my son only has one month left to live.”
Ding!
[You have been offered a new quest: [Cure Watershore Mayor’s Son!] Please be aware that this quest has a time limit. If you cannot complete it within a month, you will fail the quest. Do you accept? Yes or no?]
An announcement screen appeared in front of Adam, but he did not even bother looking at it as he pressed the “yes” button. On the other hand, Titania kept her eyes locked on the screen. This didn’t concern him. She seemed innately curious about these screens and announcements that came up every so often.
“Don’t worry,” Adam said. “I’ll head to the Forest of Gloom and find the [Panacea Flower] for you.”
“Thank you very much, otherworlder! If you can find the [Panacea Flower], I will be forever in your debt.”
Ding!
[You have accepted the quest: [Cure Watershore Mayor’s Son!]
Forest of Gloom
The Forest of Gloom was fifty klicks west of Watershore, which meant it was about thirty-one miles away. If Adam were to walk there, it would have probably taken at least an entire day, and since he couldn’t spend an entire day walking, that was a problem. Fortunately, the Watershore mayor had a means to resolve this issue.
“Take this letter of introduction to the stables near the main entrance,” he said as he handed a slim scroll made of aged parchment to Adam. “This will let you use the village’s fastest horse free of charge.”
“Thank you,” Adam said as he accepted the scroll.
Because there wasn’t much need to remain with the mayor, Adam left after asking him a few more questions about the Forest of Gloom. No one really knew much about it, unfortunately. All the information the mayor had was mostly hearsay. The only thing they knew about the forest either came from stories passed down through the generations or from the few people who had traveled around the border.
None of it sounded very believable.
“I wonder if the information he gave us is even accurate?” Adam asked no one in particular as he strode down the street. “I mean, according to the mayor, it’s been at least five hundred years since anyone saw the [Panacea Flower], right? What if it’s not even there?”
“I imagine it is still there,” Titania said from her place on his shoulder. She kicked her feet back and forth out of boredom. “The Forest of Gloom has been around since before I was sealed. There were [Panacea Flowers] back then, so they should still be there unless someone took them.”
“Well, if you say so.”
The warm sun shone down on Adam as he went to the stables, where he found an old man sitting on a stool out front. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the scent of hay and crap filling the air. However, that was the only sign of displeasure on his f
ace as he walked up to the old man and handed him the letter.
Adam checked the old man’s status screen, which said his name was Gumory Horseshoe. It was a terrible name. His parents must have hated him.
The old man read the letter and clicked his tongue. “Seems the mayor has given ya permission to ride our fastest steed. Let me tell ya something, boy; Midnight might be fast, but he has a right foul temper. Only the strongest of wills can tame a beast like that.”
Adam shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
The old man snorted. “I’ve seen a lot of cocky lads like ya coming along. Well, let’s see if ya can really tame that beast.”
The old man went inside the stables and came back with a bucking and neighing horse with a shiny black coat and intelligent amber eyes. It was resisting the old man, struggling against the rope Gumory was using to pull it with. Adam was a little shocked the horse was so uncooperative. Of course, the man had said it was untameable, but he thought it was just in-game lore to make the horse seem more important than it really was.
Before Adam could try to get the horse to calm down, Titania floated over to it and began saying a few words as she pet its head, which caused a miracle to occur. The horse stopped bucking and became calm.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Guess yer pint-sized fairy friend is good with animals,” the old man said.
“Who are you calling pint-sized?!” Titania snapped.
The old man raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and backed off.
Now that they had their steed, Adam lifted himself onto the saddle and grabbed hold of the reins. Titania sat on Midnight’s head. According to the status screen, Midnight was called an [untamed stallion] and was at level 20. What really impressed Adam was not its level, however, but its Speed stat. It had a Speed of +1,200 and a movement of +2,400.
Thanks to whatever Titania had said to the horse, Adam had an easy time getting Midnight to move. It was not long before they had traveled outside of Watershore and began heading toward the Forest of Gloom.
What would have taken twelve hours running at his fastest speed without rest only took one hour thanks to Midnight. The [untamed stallion] could travel at what Adam guessed was thirty to forty miles per hour.
Since he didn’t know how long it would take for him to complete this quest, and he didn’t want to enter the Forest of Gloom and have to leave, Adam logged off a little early, ate lunch with Fayte, and spent an hour talking to Aris. He logged back on immediately after and entered the Forest of Gloom alongside an angry Titania.
“I cannot believe you just left me here,” Titania grumbled.
“Sorry,” Adam said with a shrug.
“You don’t sound sorry,” she groused, to which Adam said nothing.
From the outside, the Forest of Gloom looked like a massive forest with trees that were so twisted their branches formed a tangled canopy overhead. The trees were so large and spaced so close together that there was very little room to maneuver. Of course, this also meant it would be hard to swing a weapon around. It could get caught on a branch, stuck in a trunk, and good luck finding it if it got knocked out of your hands. The scent of mildew and flowers was also quite thick. A poignant odor that assaulted his nose. It only grew thicker and more pungent after he climbed off Midnight, secured the steed to a tree, and entered.
“Hey, I’ve been wondering about something,” Adam began as he stepped over a large tree root sticking out of the ground.
“What have you been wondering about?” asked Titania as she flew beside him for once. It looked like she was on guard in case monsters decided to attack.
“What happens to you when I log out?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, do you just freeze, or does something happen when I log—no, when I return to my world?”
“I have no idea what you are blathering on about. Why would I freeze just because you ‘logged out’?” When Adam merely rubbed the back of his head, she released a weary sigh. “Whenever you return to your world, it looks to me like you just disappear. Your body vanishes, and then I have to wait until you reappear again. I suppose I am fortunate you don’t sleep much. I only have to wait several hours for you to return.”
“So that’s what happens…”
Adam had always been a little curious. This world was so realistic it was sometimes hard to think of it as a simple video game.
The further into the Forest of Gloom they went, the darker their surroundings became. Adam eventually needed to take out a torch from his storage so he could see. He had excellent night vision, but even he could not see if there was no light outside, and this place was practically pitch black.
Just as Adam was stepping around a large tree, a loud sound caused the hairs on his arms to prickle. It was not a sound he recognized. Halfway between a roar and a screech maybe. He didn’t know what it was, or what had caused it, but Adam’s instincts were warning him of danger.
And he always trusted his instincts.
Skipping backward, Adam traveled nearly two yards in less than a second. The second after he leapt away, a massive mouth suddenly slammed into the place where he had been standing. Adam gawked at the creature that appeared before him like something out of a nightmare. It didn’t stand on legs but a dozen roots that wiggled and scrambled over the dirt. Its green body was large and bulbous like a glass vial. The “mouth” was attached to a large tentacle with sucker-like appendages, of which there were at least six.
“Titania!”
“I’m on it!”
Titania used [scan] on this thing the moment it appeared.
Name: Barbarian Plant
Description: A carnivorous plant that gained a form of sentience after consuming human flesh. These plants are vicious and will attack anything that moves.
Class: 1-star
Lvl: 20
Health: 20,500/20,500
MP: 1,000/1,000
Strength: +500
Constitution: +300
Dexterity: +100
Intelligence: +50
Speed: +200
Skills:
Vine Whip: The barbarian plant attacks creatures with its vines
Damage = Strength + Speed
MP Cost: 10
Cooldown Time: 0 Seconds
Poison Pollen: The Barbarian Plant releases a powerful poison that causes the poison status effect
Any player infected with this poison will lose +5 HP every one second for 120 seconds
MP Cost: 100
Cooldown time: 30 seconds
Flesh Consumption: The Barbarian Plant earned its nickname because it has a habit of eating its victims
Many would-be adventurers have met their end at this plant monster’s power
Damage = Strength * 2.
MP Cost: 50
Cooldown Time: 30 seconds
Heal: The barbarian plant’s poison pollen can be used to heal the barbarian plant
It heals +2,000 HP every 5 seconds it remains within the pollen
MP Cost: None
Cooldown time: None
It looked like this thing had a pretty high level, and it was a 1-star monster, which meant it was stronger than a regular [barbarian plant].
Adam activated [Blood Sacrifice] and quickly went on the offensive. Titania floated back to give them some space and began singing [Song of Vigor]. Once both skills activated, Adam felt his body become stronger. It was like he’d taken those steroid shots that were sometimes given to soldiers when they needed an extra boost on the battlefield.
As he charged forward, the [barbarian plant] reacted by trying to attack him with its tentacles. There were six in total. That meant Adam was dealing with six attacks coming in from six different directions and angles.
Anyone else would have panicked at the sight, but Adam remained calm and his breathing steady as he shuffled along the ground. He moved left, right, then left again. The constant zigzagging motion allowed him to avoid being attacked by this giant p
lant monster and its tentacles. Each tentacle struck the ground, gouging out chunks of earth, sending dirt and grass into the sky. All of its attacks missed him, however. It did not take longer than a single second before he reached the [barbarian plant].
MISS; MISS; MISS; MISS; -4,554; -4,554!
Only two of his attacks hit, though that was almost enough to take away half its health. Adam moved quickly, running around the plant monster as it tried to attack him, dodging trees and leaping over roots. A tentacle slammed into the ground on his left. Clods of dirt kicked up everywhere. The scent of earth filled Adam’s nose as he maneuvered behind the [barbarian plant] and attacked it with liberal use of [slash].
-4,554; MISS; MISS; MISS!
Adam was doing an excellent job if he did say so himself. The [barbarian plant] kept attacking with its tentacle vines, but none of them could touch him as he constantly wove around it, then attacked with [slash] to whittle away at its health.
-4,554!
The plant monster’s health was nearly gone. However, the moment after Adam dealt such significant damage, the [barbarian plant] raised its vines, and the mouths on each vine opened up. He didn’t know what was going on at first, but then a green mist poured from the mouths on its tentacles.
“Be careful!” Titania shouted a warning. “It’s poison!”
“Thanks for telling me something I already knew!”
“There is no need for sarcasm!”
The green mist spread across the ground and covered nearly a dozen foot radius in all directions. This was the [Poison Pollen] skill that Adam saw on its status screen. It was an A.O.E. skill. Adam had no choice but to backpedal away from the [barbarian plant].
Adam frowned as he wondered how long it would take for this monster’s mist to disperse, but then he saw the large +2,000 numbers appearing over the creature’s head every five seconds and remembered the [barbarian plant’s] last ability called [Heal], which let the [barbarian plant] replenish HP simply by sitting in its own pollen. Before Adam knew what was happening, the blasted thing’s health was already back to +20,500.
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